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Which State Is The Most Improved?

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See Rankings Below or Click on These Links for More Information:

  Click Here for the Complete Most Improved State Award Publication

12 Factors | Methodology | Press Release

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"1" is Most Improved

MOST IMPROVED STATE AWARD,

1ST EDITION

ALPHA ORDER

RANK ORDER

RANK

STATE

SCORE

 

RANK

STATE

SCORE

7

Alabama

30.17

 

1

California

35.33

45

Alaska

19.42

 

2

Georgia

34.42

19

Arizona

27.08

 

3

Maryland

32.75

40

Arkansas

22.08

 

3

New Hampshire

32.75

1

California

35.33

 

5

Minnesota

32.50

22

Colorado

26.50

 

6

New Jersey

30.42

21

Connecticut

26.67

 

7

Alabama

30.17

9

Delaware

28.33

 

8

Texas

29.09

17

Florida

27.50

 

9

Delaware

28.33

2

Georgia

34.42

 

10

Nevada

28.17

48

Hawaii

18.17

 

11

Louisiana

28.08

31

Idaho

24.33

 

12

Missouri

28.00

26

Illinois

25.67

 

12

South Carolina

28.00

15

Indiana

27.75

 

12

Virginia

28.00

31

Iowa

24.33

 

15

Indiana

27.75

34

Kansas

24.17

 

16

Massachusetts

27.67

20

Kentucky

26.75

 

17

Florida

27.50

11

Louisiana

28.08

 

18

New York

27.17

27

Maine

25.50

 

19

Arizona

27.08

3

Maryland

32.75

 

20

Kentucky

26.75

16

Massachusetts

27.67

 

21

Connecticut

26.67

35

Michigan

23.83

 

22

Colorado

26.50

5

Minnesota

32.50

 

23

Ohio

26.25

25

Mississippi

26.17

 

23

Rhode Island

26.25

12

Missouri

28.00

 

25

Mississippi

26.17

49

Montana

16.08

 

26

Illinois

25.67

50

Nebraska

15.08

 

27

Maine

25.50

10

Nevada

28.17

 

27

South Dakota

25.50

3

New Hampshire

32.75

 

29

Pennsylvania

25.17

6

New Jersey

30.42

 

29

Utah

25.17

36

New Mexico

23.67

 

31

Idaho

24.33

18

New York

27.17

 

31

Iowa

24.33

47

North Carolina

18.83

 

31

Tennessee

24.33

42

North Dakota

21.17

 

34

Kansas

24.17

23

Ohio

26.25

 

35

Michigan

23.83

38

Oklahoma

23.17

 

36

New Mexico

23.67

36

Oregon

23.67

 

36

Oregon

23.67

29

Pennsylvania

25.17

 

38

Oklahoma

23.17

23

Rhode Island

26.25

 

39

Wyoming

22.17

12

South Carolina

28.00

 

40

Arkansas

22.08

27

South Dakota

25.50

 

41

West Virginia

21.75

31

Tennessee

24.33

 

42

North Dakota

21.17

8

Texas

29.09

 

43

Wisconsin

19.92

29

Utah

25.17

 

44

Vermont

19.67

44

Vermont

19.67

 

45

Alaska

19.42

12

Virginia

28.00

 

46

Washington

19.00

46

Washington

19.00

 

47

North Carolina

18.83

41

West Virginia

21.75

 

48

Hawaii

18.17

43

Wisconsin

19.92

 

49

Montana

16.08

39

Wyoming

22.17

 

50

Nebraska

15.08

 

METHODOLOGY: To determine a state's Improvement Score, each state's rankings for 12 factors were averaged. The scale is 1 to 50, the higher the number, the better. Data used are for the most recent 10-year period for which comparable numbers are available from most states. All factors were given equal weight. States with no data available for a given category were ranked based only on the remaining factors. In our book, data are listed from highest to lowest. However, for purposes of this award, we inverted rankings for those factors we determined to be "positive." Thus the state with the greatest improvement in median household income in the book (ranking 1st) would be given a number 50 ranking for this award.

The results shown in the table above reflect the improvement in a state, not how a state would rank if current data for the 12 factors were used.  Because of this confusion we have another page that has two additional tables.  One table shows how each state would have ranked 10 years ago if the 12 factors were used to compare the states and the second table shows how the states would rank if the most recent data were used to rank the states.  CLICK HERE TO GO TO THIS ADDITIONAL PAGE