America's No. 1 state is crowned again — find out who's on top and where your state ranks this year
Utah isn't giving up its crown.
The Beehive State came in at America's No. 1 state for the fourth consecutive year in U.S. News & World Report's 2026 Best States rankings, holding onto the top spot overall while Texas claimed the nation's highest-ranked economy.
The list points to a notable regional trend, with Mountain West, Midwest and Sun Belt states claiming many of the country's highest overall rankings. Four of the top five states are located in the Mountain West or Upper Midwest, with Utah, South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota and Nebraska leading the overall rankings in order. New Hampshire, Idaho, Florida, Washington and Vermont rounded out the Top 10.
U.S. News Executive Chairman and CEO Eric Gertler said the results reflect what he called "a broader realignment of American economic growth," with states in the Midwest and South gaining ground as businesses and workers increasingly gravitate toward faster-growing, lower-cost regions.
"States in the Midwest and South generally moved up the rankings, while several Northeastern states fell substantially, showing how human and financial capital are actively migrating away from high-cost areas into more affordable regions," Gertler told Fox News Digital.
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Texas climbed to the No. 1 spot in the economy category after the Lone Star State ranking the year prior. U.S. News credited the state with leading the nation in job growth while posting among the country's strongest performances in GDP growth, net migration and youth population growth.
South Dakota, meanwhile, posted one of the year's biggest gains, climbing from No. 8 overall to No. 2, while North Dakota jumped from No. 12 to No. 4, driven by improvements in health care, education, fiscal stability and economic performance.
Gertler described 2026 as the "Year of the Midwest," pointing to the Dakotas' rapid ascent as evidence of a broader shift in economic momentum.
"Low cost of living combined with strategic manufacturing investments are making these states prime destinations for young workers and expanding businesses," Gertler said.
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Utah, meanwhile, maintained its dominance by placing in the Top 10 across five of the report's eight major categories, including No. 2 in the economy and fiscal stability and No. 4 in infrastructure.
Gertler attributed Utah's sustained success to the state's overall consistency.
"Utah's No. 1 ranking comes down to consistency," he said, pointing to the state's strong economy, fiscal stability and education system, along with its young and growing workforce.
One of the report's most striking findings was that the nation's top-ranked state also placed 48th in natural environment, underscoring that no single category determines the overall standings.
No state dominated every category. Colorado climbed to No. 1 in education, Hawaii topped the nation in health care, Nevada ranked first in infrastructure, Wyoming led in fiscal stability, New Hampshire earned the highest marks in crime and corrections, Vermont ranked first in opportunity and Hawaii also claimed the top spot in natural environment.
Among the nation's largest states, Florida was the only one to crack the overall Top 10, finishing eighth. Texas paired its top-ranked economy with continued population and job growth, while California and New York did not finish among the top 10 overall.
The annual U.S. News Best States rankings compare all 50 states across eight categories that include the economy, education, health care, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime and corrections, and natural environment.