Florida ranked No. 9 state, No. 1 in education and economy by U.S. News & World Report
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TAMPA, Fla. - U.S. News & World Report released its 2024 Best States rankings, and the Sunshine State fared pretty well.
Florida was ranked No. 9 overall among U.S. states, up from No. 10 in the 2023 list, but specifically, it retained its No. 1 ranking for education nationwide for the second straight year and jumped up six spots into the No. 1 spot for economy.
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For education, U.S. News & World Report cited its second-highest rates of timely graduation at public institutions and low in-state tuition amounts as major factors. Florida also excelled in college readiness, as an assessment of SAT and ACT scores showed, according to the report.
With the economy, Florida's ‘strong job and overall economic growth’ propelled the Sunshine State to the top position in the category.
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The state's population has increased by 18% from 2010 to 2022, the report cited, luring in people with warm weather, a lack of state income tax, and a perceived lower cost of living.
Some other notable individual rankings for Florida included the following:
- No. 13 for Crime & Corrections
- No. 13 for Natural Environment
- No. 20 for Fiscal Stability
- No. 20 for Infrastructure
- No. 26 for Health Care
- No. 45 for Opportunity