Nevada is the Best State for infrastructure according to the 2021 U.S. News Best States rankings.
U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and civic journalism, evaluated all 50 states across a range of categories to capture how states best serve their citizens.
The condition of infrastructure is key to evaluating the quality of life for any state’s citizens. In ranking the Best States for infrastructure, use of renewable energy and the quality of roads and bridges were major considerations.
Nevada is the top state for infrastructure. It’s followed by Oregon, Washington, North Dakota and Utah to round out the top five. Half of the 10 states with the best infrastructures also rank among the top 10 Best States overall.
“The COVID-19 pandemic and evolving social climate of the past year have made a host of critical issues top of mind for Americans – from access to adequate health care and quality education to economic stability and public safety,” says Kim Castro, editor and chief content officer at U.S. News.
“The 2021 Best States report combines data-driven journalism and rankings to help citizens, business leaders and policymakers see where states stack up on key benchmarks – so that states can learn from each other and target areas for improvement.”
The rankings are based on more than 70 metrics and tens of thousands of data points. Adding to the annual surveys that determine the weights of the eight categories, U.S. News surveyed more than 26,000 people across the country about their levels of satisfaction with government services and how state governments should focus resources.
The data used to compile the 2021 Best States rankings predominantly came from a period predating the COVID-19 pandemic and were not affected by the pandemic’s impact on states.
The Best States rankings are the centerpiece of the U.S. News Best States portal, a platform combining analysis, daily reporting, historical information and photos on state issues.
The interactive Data Explorer tool allows citizens and government leaders to draw comparisons between their own states and others through more than 100,000 charts. Best States is part of U.S. News’ expanding civic journalism portfolio, which includes the Best Countries report, Healthiest Communities project and Cities initiative.
Earlier this year, Henderson was ranked the 2nd Safest Large City in the U.S. Read more at vegasnews.com.
