In January, Politico named the Granite state number one in the United States. Why would they choose New Hampshire? "Politico Magazine rounded up 14 different state rankings from reputable sources like the Census Bureau, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the FBI, and on important factors such as high school graduation rates, per capita income, life expectancy and crime rate. Then we averaged out each state's 14 rankings to come up with a master list--atop which sits none other than New Hampshire. The approach isn't scientific or comprehensive (hey, neither was Mencken's), and not all states are created equal--California's economy is the world's eighth largest, for instance, and Texas's population outranks that of most countries. We also hold no grudges against the State of Mississippi, which came in last not just overall but on four of the individual lists, and certainly don't attribute its woes to "hordes of barbaric peasants," as Mencken did. But given that eight of the lowest-ranking states on our list overlap with the bottom 10 on his, maybe less has changed in the past 83 years than you'd think."
The Concord Monitor may have discovered why New Hampshire ended up on top. According to studies by the U.S. Census, the Mercatus Center, the Institute for Economics and Peace, a new Gallup poll and the Kaiser Family Foundation, here are the findings about the state of the state:
LIFE EXPECTANCY | 8TH: New Hampshire's average life expectancy is 80.3 years.
FITNESS | 17TH: The New Hampshire obesity rate is 25.1 percent.
HOME-OWNERSHIP | 7TH: The home-ownership rate in New Hampshire is 72 percent.
FREEDOM | 4TH: This is determined by issues of personal freedom, government regulation and fiscal policy.
HAPPINESS | 8TH: Considerations included exercise, and smoking, access to health care and food, and overall life satisfaction.
SAFETY | 3RD: Determined by homicides and violent crimes, incarceration rate, number of police employees and availability of small arm.
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION | 5TH: New Hampshire has a graduation rate of 91.4 percent.
WEALTH | 7TH: New Hampshire is in the top 10 wealthiest based simply on per capita income.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY | 7TH: