News: NH Nation’s Most Livable State

Nation”s Most Livable State

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New Hampshire is Nation”s Most Livable State
Mississippi once again at the bottom of the rankings

For the second consecutive year, New Hampshire was named the nation’s Most Livable State by Morgan Quitno Press, which determined its 15th annual award from its just released reference book “State Rankings 2005.” At the opposite end, state statistics placed Mississippi at No. 50 for the seventh year in a row.

“Last year, New Hampshire eked past seven-time winner Minnesota, earning the Most Livable State title by a fraction of a point,” said Scott Morgan, President of Morgan Quitno Press. “But this year, New Hampshire has widened its margin of victory and indisputably wins the award. The state performs well across the board, boasting low unemployment, low crime and a well educated population.”

For 15 years, Morgan Quitno Press has issued its Livable State Award. Based on 44 factors selected from updated editions of its annual reference book, State Rankings, the Most Livable State Award recognizes a state for its high quality of life. The just-released 2005 edition of State Rankings compares states in more than 550 categories.

“Our award is unique because it takes into account a broad range of economic, educational, health-oriented, public safety and environmental statistics,” Morgan said. “The Most Livable State Award tells an interesting story about life and government in the 50 United States.”

Rounding out the top five spots with New Hampshire are (in descending order) Minnesota, Vermont, Wyoming and Virginia. Bringing up the opposite end of the rankings scale with Mississippi are Louisiana in 49th, Arkansas in 48th, Tennessee in 47th and West Virginia in 46th place.

To determine a state”s “Livability Rating,” Morgan Quitno averaged each state”s rankings for 44 categories. Those categories included both positive and negative factors, such as unemployment rates, job growth, sunny days, teenage birthrates, homeownership, books in public libraries per capita, and highway fatality rates, among other criteria.

Data used are for the most recent year in which comparable numbers are available from most states. All factors were given equal weight. States with no data available for a given category were ranked based only on the remaining factors.

Most Livable States in Descending Order

Source: Morgan Quitno Press

America”s Most Livable States