Montana Ranked No. 29 In U.S. News Best States

I love a good ranking. I don't know what it is, but I rank just about anything you could rank. Attended concerts, attended NFL games, favorite owned vinyl records, movies watched, etc.

You give me a topic, and I'll rank it.

Now, U.S. News has released its own ranking of all 50 states.

"Some states shine in healthcare. Some soar in education. Some excel in both – or in much more. The Best States rankings by U.S. News draw on thousands of data points to measure how well states are performing for their citizens." - USNews.com

Montana Ranked No. 29 in Best States Overall

Overall, Montana was just below average at No. 29. Here's how we graded out in the 8 individual categories:

Crime & Corrections (#38)
Economy (#27)
Education (#16)
Fiscal Stability (#21)
Healthcare (#41)
Infrastructure (#33)
Natural Environment (#29)
Opportunity (#15)

Not a good showing for Montana, according to U.S. News. Healthcare was Montana's lowest-rated category, driven by limited healthcare access and lower healthcare quality.

Which doesn't really surprise me, considering we've seen billboards promoting getting into healthcare across the state. We rank the highest in "opportunity," which dives into cost of living, median incomes, and poverty rates.

The Best And Worst States In America

The Beehive State, Utah, checked in as the best state in the nation, followed by South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Nebraska.

I don't necessarily agree with that top 5, but I digress.

Louisiana, Alaska, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Michigan were rated as the lowest on the list.

Famous Montanans A-Z

We put together an A-Z guide of Famous Montanans. People count if they were born here, raised here, live here, went to school here, or have a substantial connection to Montana. We couldn't find an 'x' entry and we had to cheat on 'z' by using a first name. If you have any other recommendations, please let us know.