U.S. News Sings Utah’s Praises
– By Howard Sierer –
Our state has been first in the nation by a variety of measures as rated by multiple sources over a number of years. It is easy to take it almost for granted that we’re on top again.
So what’s new with this one? U.S. News’ ranking does a better job of balancing a number of factors that I feel better represent the state’s pluses and minuses.
Its Utah story starts with historical background on the state’s founding and a quick summary of state features. It goes on to explain its rating with detail about the state’s score in 70 metrics in eight different categories. Several of these categories caught my attention.
Utah is ranked #1 in two categories: economy and fiscal stability. Our economy has been ranked at or very near the top by various economic measures for years. I’ve praised our state government for prudently managing our state budget and taxes, providing us with what U.S. News calls best-in-the-country “fiscal stability.”
Utah’s educational quality is often ranked by others in the lower half of states. But Utah comes out #5 with U.S. News. These other sources mark Utah well down on their lists because they use the teachers union’s preferred metric: dollars spent per student. If dollars per student were the best indicator of education quality, New York City’s schools would be the best in the world. Instead they are failing their students year after year, getting worse instead of better.
In contrast, U.S. News deserves credit for ranking states using Pre-K-12 student achievement: preschool enrollment, standardized test scores for eighth-graders, high school graduation rates and college readiness. For higher education, U.S. News scores the percentage of citizens with college degrees, college graduation rates, cost of in-state tuition and fees and debt that college graduates carry.
Utah’s #5 is based on what really matters: results.
We get a middling #20 ranking on what U.S. News calls “Opportunity.” Utah ranks #7 in economic opportunity which includes poverty rate, food insecurity, household income and income inequality. Our high ranking here reflects our state’s great economy and social structure. We are shown as #28 in affordability which compares the cost of living and housing affordability with incomes.
We get an opportunity down check to #48 on the participation rates of men and women in the labor force. Utah has the highest number of children per family in the country which naturally leads to a higher percentage of women who choose to stay in the home.
This reflects a choice, not a lack of opportunity, for women. Nonetheless, fewer women in the workforce may lead to fewer opportunities for professional growth and greater disparities in income for women who go back to work after raising their families.
Our state gets a deserved #38 ranking on air and water quality, due in large part to air pollution. Like Los Angeles, the Wasatch Front has beautiful mountains to the east, preventing air pollutants from dispersing for days or even weeks at a time. And since we are one the driest states in the union, we have a somewhat higher than average number of water pollution violations due primarily to our heavy use of well water.
Another downer: we’re ranked #44 on toxic chemical pollution and related health risks, a legacy of our mining industry.
U.S. News latest ranking reminds me of all that’s good about living in Utah. We’ve got things we can improve but kudos to our state government and to all the hardworking, friendly and genuinely good people who live here.
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