New Hampshire beats out Massachusetts in "best states" ranking
CONCORD, N.H. - New Hampshire is the best state in New England and the second-best in the entire country, according to a new ranking from U.S News & World Report.
The "Best States" ranking for 2024 puts New Hampshire at No. 2, Vermont seventh and Massachusetts 10th. Connecticut came in at No. 20, and Rhode Island and Maine were in the bottom half of the pack at No. 26 and No. 28, respectively. Utah took the top spot on the list.
New Hampshire's crime and safety ranking
New Hampshire was ranked first in the country when it comes to "crime & corrections." That category considers the racial makeup of the prison population, juvenile incarceration and incarceration rate, as well as reports of property crime and violent crime.
In 2022, Nashua, New Hampshire was ranked the second-safest city in America by WalletHub.
Massachusetts scores highly in education, health care
Massachusetts did best in the health care category, ranking second among states. The ranking considered insurance coverage, hospital ratings and public health.
Massachusetts got high scores in education, though the state is used to being No. 1 in that field. Florida and Utah were both ranked ahead of Massachusetts by U.S. News.
New Hampshire far ahead of Massachusetts in "opportunity"
One area where New Hampshire ranked far ahead of Massachusetts was the "opportunity" category. New Hampshire was ranked No. 10 for opportunity and Massachusetts was 46th. For that factor, U.S. News looked at racial and gender economic gaps, household income, the poverty rate and affordability.
According to Zillow, the average home value in New Hampshire is just over $474,000. In Massachusetts, it's more than $622,000.
Click here for the full ranking of the best states.