U.S. News came out with a liveability study last week that plunked Michigan near the bottom on a list of states, but the way I see it, it’s all about perspective.
We’re not the fifth-worst, we’re the 46th-best!
The top five are Utah, South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota and Nebraska, at least three of which are the kinds of places you only rank that high if you’ve never been there.
The bottom five are us, New Mexico, Mississippi, Alaska and Louisiana, at least three of which you only rank that low if you’ve never been there.
My ego is not bruised here, but a tourism expert told me that widely publicized reports can make an impact, so I figured I should take a closer look.
Surveys like this one, I should point out, pop up all the time. Dozens are stashed in my email closet right now, including analyses of the most fun states and the best and worst states to have a baby, which might be related, and the most sinful cities − which might be related, too.
When it comes to writing about them, I have to ask myself a key question, case by case:
Can I use this to make fun of Ohio?
Fewer people, more points
I’m just getting started, so we’ll have to see. But one thing I’m sure of is that their methodologies range from imperfect to highly imperfect.
For instance, said Wayne State professor Jeff Horner, the U.S. News report “applies commuting time to all 50 states. You’re going to have a huge advantage if you don’t have any large cities to commute in.”
Horner, who teaches urban studies and planning, read the entire 2026 Overall Best State Rankings, examining its 71 metrics across eight categories.
“It’s not a completely bad set of numbers,” he said, but “they can’t really mount an apples-to-apples competition.”
Nos. 6 through 10 on the list of honor are New Hampshire, Idaho, Florida, Washington and Vermont.
Within the top 10, Horner noted, only Florida and Washington rank among America’s 20 most populated states. The Dakotas and Vermont are in the bottom five, and Idaho and Nebraska have barely more residents than Wayne County.
Michigan, 10th in population, scored poorly in things like economy, infrastructure and crime and corrections, all connected to being an early industrial powerhouse.
We ranked only 32nd in natural environment, though that’s less a reflection on us than it is on people who need to seek a pleasant peninsula and look about them.
Also, at a point where fresh water is becoming a commodity, we have the Great Lakes. So rate that, pal.
A pitch for Pure Michigan
Among the top 10 states, only in Florida can you find a Waffle House.
That might not be significant, but according to Horner, this is: Parts of Utah and Minnesota, and even Florida, in and near Miami, are renowned for regionalism, with shared planning and development dollars. Given Michigan’s history of intermural hostility, a bit more cooperation could be worth looking into.
One area where we do link hands and sing around the campfire is tourism, Dave Lorenz told me, and some people will scan the U.S. News report “and let it confirm their bias or prejudice. Or they will look at it as a truly informed or balanced rating.”
Lorenz retired 2½ years ago as vice president of Travel Michigan, the birthplace of the Pure Michigan ad campaign, and now runs the West Michigan Tourist Association. High on his list of worries is a slashed budget in his old department, cut from $34 million during his tenure to only $12 million in the coming fiscal year.
“When you visit here, it’s a sampling,” he said, “like going to Costco and sampling that little hot dog. Once you taste it, you’re going to want to have more.”
Better us than Ohio, No. 42 on the list.
Our neighbors in Baja Michigan scored poorly in crime and corrections, no surprise to anyone who has ever gone to a football game at Ohio State.
They were a solid 18th in opportunity, though, and located where they are, they have a splendid opportunity to move someplace better before the next rankings come out.
Neal Rubin admits to liking several things about Ohio, including the Toledo Mud Hens, Cedar Point, and a restaurant called Onolicious Hawaii in downtown Cincinnati. Reach him at NARubin@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: U.S. News slammed us in a survey, but at least we’re not Ohio
Reporting by Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
