Here’s how the DC region did in an annual ranking of best states

U S News World Summary just dropped its Best States list evaluating all states across critical metrics like fitness care teaching business activity infrastructure fiscal stability residents safety and the climate For the third year in a row Utah snagged the top spot proving once again that the Beehive State is more than just stunning landscapes and salt flats If you ask Utah Gov Spencer Cox it s the people not just the landscape that earn the state its top spot It s the hardworking service-minded people who continue to make Utah the best place to live work and raise a family Cox declared New Jersey ranked No for overall guidance leading the pack in pre-K through th-grade metrics like standardized test scores high school graduation rates and preschool enrollment Florida secured No overall but tops the charts in higher tuition thanks to low tuition costs and strong graduation rates for two- and four-year programs At least Maryland ranked No for milieu and No overall Virginia came in at No overall Jaclyn Jeffrey-Wilensky senior facts editor with U S News World Assessment notified WTOP There s a lot of nuance there and a lot of range Maryland did place number two in the surroundings category and that s thanks to it having nice clean air and water and a low rate of industrial toxins or garbage that could harm human healthcare Maryland also ranked very high in healthcare I thought it was really gripping particularly in the area of population robustness So it had chosen of the best rates in the nation for having a low suicide rate a low smoking rate and a low rate of poor mental physical condition days It s not all great for Maryland Jeffrey-Wilensky commented On the flip side this will come as this will come as a surprise to no one who commutes in the area but Maryland did rank second worst in the nation for commute time so the longest commute nation she disclosed Virginia got nailed there as well and landed in the bottom for worse commute times However for the Commonwealth Its performance was more stable across the different subcategories but its highest subcategory was in the business sector and it certainly was No the fourth highest for employment rate Sorry Washingtonians D C as usual didn t get a rank because it s not a state Here s the full Best States rankings in terms of the Top overall Utah New Hampshire Idaho Minnesota Nebraska Florida Vermont South Dakota Massachusetts Washington The full list with all the details is online WTOP s Andrew Alsbrooks contributed to this statement Source