Arizona is ranked as the best U.S. state for viewing the Northern Lights due to its dry air, dark skies, and clear nights, with other top states including Nevada, New Mexico, and Alaska, all benefiting from favorable geographic and atmospheric conditions for aurora visibility.
A recent WalletHub study ranks Florida, Minnesota, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Delaware, North Dakota, and Wisconsin as the top states for retirement in 2025, considering factors like affordability, quality of life, and healthcare, while Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Washington, New Mexico, New Jersey, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Arkansas, and Hawaii are the worst. Alabama ranks 37th overall, with strong affordability but lower scores in quality of life and healthcare.
Scholaroo, a college scholarship resource, ranked the best states for millennials based on affordability, political and social environment, employment, quality of life, health, personal finance, and safety. New York and California did not make the top 10. Minnesota was ranked as the best state for millennials, followed by Utah and Massachusetts. Minnesota scored high in personal finance and affordability, while Utah had the highest employment rate for millennials and Massachusetts ranked well in health and political and social environment.
A recent report by Soliant Health has ranked the best and worst US states for mental health based on factors such as access to mental health providers, unemployment rate, violent crime rate, and air pollution. Nebraska emerged as the top state for mental health, while West Virginia ranked as the worst. New Jersey, which ranked sixth, has expanded its focus on mental health and allocated aid to mental health care, including hotlines and services for students. The report aims to raise awareness about mental health disparities and promote conversations around mental health support.
Michigan has been ranked at No. 41 in the U.S. News ranking of the best states for 2023, which uses thousands of data points to capture how all 50 states serve their residents. While Michigan fared decently well in health care and opportunity, it struggled in infrastructure, education, fiscal stability, and crime. The ranking makes little sense when it comes to natural environment, where Michigan is ranked No. 36, despite being the only state with two peninsulas, home to the Great Lakes, and having the longest freshwater coastline of any state.