Louisiana Dubbed as ‘One of The Worst’ by New Study

A new study from U.S. News & World Report has ranked all 50 states from best to worst based on factors like crime, wealth, and education. Where did Louisiana land?

Of all 50 states Louisiana landed in dead last at 50th of the Best States Overall. U.S. News & World Report ranked each state based on eight factors: crime & corrections, education, economy, health care, natural environment, fiscal stability, infrastructure, and economic opportunity.

Louisiana landed in the bottom ten states in all eight factors each time. Louisiana's lowest factor was crime & corrections with a rank of 50 out of 50. The best score for the Bayou state was in fiscal stability with the rank of 41 out of 50.

While you might expect the natural environment category to be more in line with the natural beauty of each state instead it is focused on air quality, water quality, and pollution. Louisiana landed at 49 for the state's natural environment, with a higher than average rate of drinking water violations than the country as a whole. Industrial toxins are a concern as well as Louisiana outputs a measured 3,134 pounds per square mile of toxins, over three times the national average. But Louisiana did better than the national average in the number of days per year with unhealthy air quality, with only 65, compared to the nation's average of 107 days.

Louisiana's ranking isn't a new thing, last year the same study found Louisiana in the same rank. U.S. News & World Report expects pushback on this study which is why their methods and practices for this research can be found on their website.