Based on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God. -1 Peter 4:10
For consistency, the rankings have been structured so that the lower-numbered ranking (e.g. 1st) always represents a preferable outcome as compared to a higher-numbered ranking (e.g. 50th). For example, for “Heart Disease Death Rate”, the most desirable ranking is 1st, which would represent the lowest death rate from heart disease. Similarly, for “Cost of Living”, the most desirable ranking is 1st, which would represent the lowest cost of living among the 50 states.
All rankings reflect the most recent data available as of the publication of this Report. Report compiled by Wade Thompson under the direction of Senator Shane Reeves.
Sources:
¹Moody’s Investors Service, S&P Global, and Fitch Ratings – 2017 ² USGovermentSpending.com – 2018 ³The Pew Charitable Trusts – 2016 ⁴U.S. News and World Report – 2018 ⁵George Mason University Mercatus Center 2018 ⁶CNBC- America’s Top States for Business – 2018 ⁷U.S. Census Bureau – 2017 ⁸U.S. Census Bureau – 2016/17 ⁹WalletHub – 2018 ¹⁰U.S. Department of Education – 2016 ¹¹U.S. Census Bureau – 2015 ¹²ACT.org – 2018 ¹³National Education Association – 2017 ¹⁴Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – 2016 ¹⁵Calculated using 2014 data from the National Council for Adoption and the U.S. Census Bureau ¹⁶Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – 2017 ¹⁷Pew Research Center -2014 Religious Case Study ¹⁸United States Election Project – 2018 ¹⁹Federal Bureau of Investigation – 2017 ²⁰PrisonPolicy.org – 2018 ²¹JAMA- The Journal of the American Medical Association – 2018 ²²Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -2015 ²³Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Cancer Institute – 2015 ²⁴National Institute on Drug Abuse – 2015 ²⁵Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services – 2014
