• Out of all 50 states, New Jersey ranked 19th in the report
• New Jersey received its highest individual ranking in the education category and its lowest individual ranking in the fiscal stability category

Residents of the Garden State all have their reasons for living here. And while the state may have its quirks, many of us likely consider it to be one of the best places in the country.

As it turns out, we’re not too far off: New Jersey was named the 19th best state in the nation, according to the U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best States Ranking.

The ranking was based on how all 50 states performed in eight categories — education, health care, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime and corrections, and natural environment — using data from recent national surveys that asked more than 50,000 people to prioritize each issue in their respective states.

Each state also received individual rankings for each of these eight categories, as well as for key metrics within each of these categories.

Where New Jersey ranked in each category

The Garden State placed in the top half of the 50 states for four of the eight categories considered in the ranking. The state also received a first-place ranking in the report’s most heavily weighted category: education.

New Jersey earned its highest ranking — and the highest ranking in the nation — for education, coming in first out of all 50 states. The report said that this ranking is credited to the state’s performance in pre-K-12 education — specifically for preschool enrollment, standardized test scores and high school graduation rate, which far exceeds its performance in higher education.

“The top 3 states in the pre-K-12 subcategory (New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut) all find themselves in the bottom half of states for higher education,” the report reads. “Across the board, these three states rank in the bottom 10 for tuition and fees and debt at graduation.”

For health care, New Jersey ranked fifth overall. The report said that this ranking is consistent with what was seen throughout the Northeast, especially when it comes to public health.

The state also placed highly for both crimes and corrections (No. 10) and infrastructure (No. 12), and moderately for natural environment (No. 28) and economy (No. 31). But on the other end, New Jersey ranked poorly for opportunity (No. 45) and fiscal stability (No. 49) because of the state’s overall lack of affordability.

What are the five best, and worst, states in the nation?

Utah was named the overall best state in the nation, ranking in the top 20 for seven of the eight categories, according to the report. New Hampshire, Idaho, Minnesota and Nebraska made up the remaining top five states.

On the other end, Louisiana ranked 50th overall and is considered to be the worst state in the nation, according to the report. Alaska, Mississippi, New Mexico and West Virginia also ranked in the report’s bottom five states.

Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering all things worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay, on X @maddiemcgayy, and sign up for her North Jersey Living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or terrific house she should know about? Email her at MMcGay@gannett.com.