Is NJ one of the 'best states'? U.S. News releases 2023 rankings

⚫ U.S. News & World Report looked at 71 measures to compile its rankings.

⚫ The Northeast makes its first appearance on the list at No. 6.

⚫ New Jersey receives its best score in the category of education.

Pleasant scores in the areas of education, health care, and crime weren't enough to give New Jersey a top-10 spot in U.S. News & World Report's 2023 rankings of the best states in the country.

In the report released on Tuesday, Utah took the top spot from Washington, which slipped to No. 2. Idaho, Nebraska, and Minnesota round out the top five.

According to the analysis of more than 70 metrics across eight key categories, New Jersey ranks No. 19 among the 50 states.

"The home of native musical legends such as Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Frank Sinatra and Whitney Houston, New Jersey is known for more than producing popular hit-makers," the publication says. "It has world-class universities, leading technology and biological science firms and one fast turnpike."

The eight categories — health care, crime, education, economy, fiscal stability, natural environment, infrastructure, and opportunity — were weighted differently, based on the issues that residents prioritize. Scores related to health care and education were given more weight, for example, than scores for natural environment and fiscal stability.

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New Jersey ranked close to or among the bottom half of the states in the categories of economy, fiscal stability, natural environment, infrastructure, and opportunity.

Within the education category, New Jersey ranked No. 1 for pre-K-through-12 performance.

New York ranked as the 20th best state in the report, right behind New Jersey. Pennsylvania came in at No. 40.

Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com

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