Alabama: where we thank God for Mississippi so we're not last. Which is ironic, as Mississippi is above us in ranking and it's actually Louisiana that is last. Speaking of rankings, I'm just going to dive right in and list just 10 reasons why you should leave Alabama*.
Overall Ranking - 49
Alabama is 49 overall for state rankings. Ouch.
Health Care Ranking - 46
We're 37 in access, 39 in quality, and 47 in public health. Not the worst, but not good either.
Education Ranking - 50
We're 47 in higher education and 49 in Prek-12. We call ourselves a pro-life state, but we're not acting like it.
Economy Ranking - 45
GiphyWe're 43 in business environment and 45 in employment. However, we are 22 in growth, so that's what we've got going for us economy-wise.
Infrastructure Ranking - 38
Not the worst overall ranking, as we're 18 in energy and 26 in transportation, but being 47 in internet access bringing the overall ranking down significantly.
Opportunity Ranking - 45
We're 19 in affordability, but 45 in economic opportunity and 40 in equality. Is living cheaper worth it?
Crime and Corrections Ranking - 45
We're 41 in corrections and 44 in public safety. Again, is living cheaper worth it?
Average Debt at Graduation - $31,899
The national average is $28,650. Yikes.
Average Household Income - $48,123
The national average is $60,336. Yeah, stuff is cheaper, but we're making less money.
Violent Crime Rate - 524*
The national average is 394. Again, yikes.
*Incidents per 100k residents.
You do what you want with this information, but I can say as an Alabamian that I am NOT staying in Alabama. I can't say I love this state and I'm longing for the day I can move to my dream state, Virginia, whose overall ranking is 7.
For those wondering who the top 5 states are:
1 - Washington
2 - New Hampshire
3 - Minnesota
4 - Utah
5- Vermont
*All rankings come from usnews.com
