Minnesota Ranks Third Best State to Live in 2026 According to U.S. News
Minnesota has been ranked as the third-best state to live in the United States for 2026, according to U.S. News' Best States rankings. The rankings evaluated all 50 states across 71 metrics in eight categories, including healthcare, education, economy, infrastructure, public safety, and opportunity. Minnesota performed notably well, ranking 16th in crime, 24th in economy, 15th in education, and 11th in fiscal stability. The state was only surpassed by Utah and South Dakota, with North Dakota and Nebraska rounding out the top five. The rankings are based on thousands of data points and are designed to measure how well states are performing compared to others.