COLORADO NEWS

Colorado continues to fall in ‘U.S. News’ best states rankings

May 7, 2024, 4:15 PM | Updated: May 8, 2024, 4:56 pm

Remember not that long ago when Colorado was at the top of nearly every list of the best states to live in? Well, the times they are a changin’, and according to one of the more definitive lists, Colorado is slipping.

U.S. News and World Report’s annual ranking of the best states in the country ranks all 50 states in categories like crime and corrections, economy, education, fiscal stability, healthcare, infrastructure, natural environment and opportunity.

Colorado is the 16th-best state in 2024, down one spot from number 15 in 2023.

Colorado ranked the following in each category in 2024:

  • Crime and Corrections: 47th
  • Economy: 4th
  • Education: 5th
  • Fiscal Stability: 36th
  • Healthcare: 12th
  • Infrastructure: 12th
  • Natural Environment: 26th
  • Opportunity: 39th

Utah was the best overall state in the U.S., while Louisiana was last.

Colorado’s oldest amusement park opens for it’s 117th season this weekend

Colorado News

Denver Museum of Nature and Science...

Shawn Patrick

Denver Museum of Nature & Science offers free admission on April 26 for Día del Niño celebration

If you’ve got a family that likes to get out and explore Denver, here’s a great way to do it while saving a ton of money this weekend! The Denver […]

13 hours ago

(Photo by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Shutterfly)...

Shawn Patrick

Drink from a dog bowl, get a free beer: Dog-themed dive bar set to open in downtown Denver

A new downtown bar is betting that folks in Denver love their dogs enough to drink like one. Two Lazy Dogs Bar & Grill, a canine-themed dive bar opening soon […]

13 hours ago

Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images...

Shawn Patrick

Colorado Rockies’ Dinger cracks top 10 — and earns ‘most divisive’ tag — in fan ranking of best MLB mascots

He hatched out of a giant egg at Mile High Stadium more than three decades ago, and the Colorado Rockies’ purple triceratops mascot is still stirring up strong feelings. Dinger […]

14 hours ago

...

Big Mic

Interview | Jay Pharoah talks Invincible and Quiz with Balls ahead of Comedy Works show

Jay Pharoah stopped by Big Mic’s Open Mic ahead of his Comedy Works South at Landmark shows and talked about being a part of one of the biggest tv’s shows […]

18 hours ago

(Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)...

Shawn Patrick

The most advanced fighter jet, the F-35A, set to headline an airshow in Colorado

Although Tom Cruise likely won’t being flying it, Top Gun-style planes will soon grace the Colorado sky! The U.S. Air Force’s F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team will headline the 2026 […]

2 days ago

(Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)...

Shawn Patrick

Denver’s best Mother’s Day brunches are booking up — Here’s where to look

Mother’s Day is still more than two weeks away, but the best brunch tables in Colorado are already disappearing. Restaurants across the Denver metro and Front Range are opening reservations […]

2 days ago

Colorado continues to fall in ‘U.S. News’ best states rankings