Among best in the West? And the U.S.? See where Idaho is in state rankings
When it comes to which is the best state in America, opinions vary wildly. After all, what’s the criteria?
But according to the U.S. News & World Report annual ranking, certain factors make some states stand out.
In this year’s Best States ranking, Idaho made the No. 3 spot, jumping from its fifth-place position in 2024. The jump was celebrated by Gov. Brad Little in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The report evaluated states based on 71 metrics across eight categories: health care, education, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime and corrections, and natural environment. Here’s a look at where Idaho placed:
- Crime & Corrections, No. 9
- Economy, No. 4
- Education, No. 29
- Fiscal Stability, No. 8
- Health Care, No. 20
- Infrastructure, No. 16
- Natural Environment, No. 10
- Opportunity, No. 10
Utah came in first for the third consecutive year, ranking high in economy and fiscal responsibility, followed by New Hampshire at No. 2.
Utah and Idaho weren’t the only Western states in the top 10, with Washington coming in at No. 10.
The report noted that Western states generally performed better in higher education than in the pre-K-12 category. Washington, California, Idaho and Nevada all ranked in the top 15 in the higher education subcategory, but all four were ranked lower in the latter category.
Idaho beat out Utah on the environmental portion, both in pollution (11th), and air and water quality (20th). There were notable high placements for Idaho in the economy subcategories: growth (4th), business environment (6th) and employment (9th).
At a glance, Idaho’s economic overview looks like this, according to state data:
Civilian Labor Force (March 2025): 1,011,659
Unemployment Rate (March 2025): 3.7%
Population (2024): 2,001,619
Median Household Income (2023): $74,636
Per Capita Personal Income (2023): $59,385
Poverty Rate (2023): 10.6%
There were several subcategories that dinged Idaho in the overall rankings and would be areas for improvement, including correction outcomes (41st), pre-K-12 education (35th), internet access (35th) and equality (29th).
To learn more about the rankings and methodology, visit the U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best States report.