Here's How GA Compares In New Best States Ranking

Georgia is the 22nd best in the country in a new ranking Wednesday that shows how well states are working for the people who live there.

Rather than focus on any one issue, U.S. News & World Report pulled together dozens of measures covering health care, education, the economy, infrastructure, public safety, opportunity and other factors that shape everyday life for its 2026 Best States Rankings.

To determine the rankings, categories were weighted differently according to a public survey on key priorities. The most critical areas identified were healthcare and education, receiving the highest importance.

These were followed by state economies, infrastructure, and citizen opportunity. Fiscal stability, crime and corrections, and the natural environment were also factored in, with fiscal stability carrying slightly more weight than the latter two.

Where Georgia Shines

Georgia is home to the world’s busiest airport, multiple historically Black colleges and universities and the headquarters for several major businesses.

The state has a gross domestic product of $924.8 billion and a population of 11,302,748. More than 40 percent of the population is college educated.

Here’s where Georgia ranked in the following categories:

Crime and corrections: No. 20

Education: No. 26

Health care: No. 35

Natural environment: No. 21

Economy: No. 20

Fiscal stability: No. 10

Infrastructure: No. 20

Opportunity: No. 31

The top 10 states in the U.S. News ranking are, respectively, Utah, South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Idaho, Florida, Washington and Vermont.