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[1998 Rankings] [43 Factors] [State Rankings for 43 Factors]
[Most Livable State Rankings 1991 to 1998]
[Corporate Information Sheet] [MQ Home Page]
LAWRENCE, KS. The "Star of the North" is once again the star of the land. For the second year in a row, Minnesota is the nation’s Most Livable State. The eighth annual award was announced today by Morgan Quitno Press, a Lawrence, Kansas-based publishing and research company. Also making a repeat ranking — at the opposite end of the livability scale — is Louisiana which took 50th, a position the state has held seven of the last eight years.
"Minnesota tops our 1998 list because of its all around high quality of life," said Scott Morgan, President of Morgan Quitno. "The state’s impressive scores in areas such as the rate of homeownership, high school graduates and citizens covered by health insurance propelled it to the top of this year’s livability rankings."
A total of 43 factors were considered in the eighth annual Most Livable State survey. These included crime rate, per capita state and local tax revenue, infant mortality rate, personal income, job growth, books in public libraries per capita, percent of days that are sunny, teenage birth rate and a new factor, spending for the arts. Announced annually since 1991, the factors for the Most Livable State Award are chosen each year from updated editions of Morgan Quitno’s annual reference book, State Rankings. The 1998 edition of that 624 page volume, which compares states in more than 500 categories, was published this week.
"With the publication of each year’s State Rankings volume, we update our data and take a fresh look at each state’s basic quality of life," Morgan said. "The categories cover a broad range of economic, health, environment and public safety-related statistics. This wide variety of factors makes our award unique in that we have no narrow, special agenda to advance.
"One word describes Minnesota: Wow!" Morgan continued. "Not only has it topped our list for two years running, it also boasts the highest number of recreational boats per capita (one boat for every six people) is home to the only water-based national park in the U.S. (Voyageurs) and has given us Post-it Notes® and Scotch® tape!"
Accompanying Minnesota in the top five spots were (in descending order) Nebraska, Iowa, Utah and Wisconsin. Bringing up the rear with Louisiana were Mississippi in 49th, West Virginia in 48th, Alabama in 47th and Tennessee in 46th. Delaware experienced the most improvement, jumping twelve spots from 26th to 14th, while Maine suffered the biggest drop, going from 16th to 26th.
The Most Livable State Award recognizes a state for its high quality of life. It is not a measurement of which state is most fun or the best place for everyone to live. Rather, the award considers basic statistical indicators that reflect the kind of lifestyle most Americans agree is positive — affordable housing, safe streets, ample employment opportunities, good education and a strong state economy. Other rankings look at education or business environment or taxes alone, but this award is much more comprehensive.
The Most Livable State Award is one of four designations announced annually by Morgan Quitno in conjunction with publication of its annual reference books. These other annual announcements designate the nation’s Safest City and Metro Area (announced together with MONEY Magazine), the Healthiest State and the Most Dangerous State. A listing of the Most Livable State Award’s 43 factors, rankings of all 50 states for each factor and an explanation of the methodology are available from Morgan Quitno Press via the Internet at http://www.morganquitno.com or by calling (785) 841-3534.
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