From the numerous mountain ranges to the five national parks to other sites such as the Great Salt Lake, Utah is known for its uniquely stunning scenery.
But it’s not just the diverse outdoor offerings that make the Beehive State a great place to live. Its people – who are even sometimes a bit “too nice” – also make Utah special, says Ben Blau, head of the Department of Economics and Finance at Utah State University’s Jon M. Huntsman School of Business.
“Between the people and the place,” he adds, “I just think it’s a beautiful area.”
Utah, where a large share of residents belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, finished in the top 15 in six of the eight categories measured in the rankings. It also ranked No. 18 for opportunity, and natural environment was the only category where it finished in the bottom half of the list.
Utah’s journey to the top spot in the rankings for the second year in a row coincided with the state moving up year over year in several categories, including crime and corrections (+6) and opportunity (+2). Broadly speaking, year-over-year changes in the rankings should be interpreted with caution due to potential methodology changes. Yet perhaps Utah’s most important rise was in education – the second-highest weighted category in the rankings – where it jumped from No. 5 to No. 2, finishing behind only Florida.
A notable improvement for Utah within the education category was a roughly 13% increase in its two-year-college graduation rate to 33.6%, good for a No. 22 ranking on the metric and not connected to any U.S. News methodological shifts. Utah also saw its preschool enrollment rate climb by about 12%, but progress in the rankings is relative. States overall saw 15% average improvement in that metric, muting the effect of Utah’s improvement.
“The honeybee is one of the symbols of the state of Utah, and that’s because, for years, it has been promoted as a place where people come and work hard,” he says. “I think that plays out in some of the young kids that are going to school for sure.”
Utah this year also rose one spot and into the top three in the infrastructure category, which assesses areas like commute time, road and bridge quality, and internet access. In the coming years, the state could rise even more: Infrastructure improvements have been another area of focus for the government, Blau says, with Salt Lake City preparing to potentially host the Winter Olympics in 2034. Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, indicated recently that expanding passenger rail in Salt Lake City could be a priority in the coming years.
The state’s access to gigabit internet also grew to nearly 60% in this year’s Best States data.
Utah did slip in some Best States categories in 2024, including the two in which it ranked first last year. The state dropped from No. 1 to No. 3 in economy, and from No. 1 to No. 6 in fiscal stability. On the economic side, the state saw ticks up in tax burden and unemployment rate. It also fell seven spots – to No. 14 – in health care.
In other areas, there is even more room for growth in the Beehive State. Despite its natural beauty, Utah remained at No. 46 in the natural environment category, which assesses states primarily on pollution-related problems. Utah’s poor performance was fueled in part by a repeat finish at No. 44 in the pollution subcategory, which measures toxic chemical pollution in a state and the level of long-term health risk posed by pollution.
And while Utah rose from No. 20 to No. 18 in the opportunity category – mainly fueled by a jump to No. 2 in the economic opportunity subcategory – the state also fell from No. 48 to No. 49 in equality, another opportunity subcategory that evaluates key outcomes in areas like education and employment for residents of different demographics.
Utah is not very racially or ethnically diverse, with more than three-quarters (76.7%) of the population classified as non-Hispanic white, according to July 2023 census estimates. Its next-largest racial and ethnic groups are the Hispanic population (15.1%), multiracial population (2.9%) and Asian population (2.8%).
The state also struggles in gender equality – a particular concern for Susan Madsen, a professor at Utah State University and founding director of the Utah Women & Leadership Project. A white paper published by the project in January noted that “while Utahns are thriving in many ways, there are vast differences in the way that residents experience Utah’s economic success, leadership opportunities, and even safety and belonging.”
The research – which references previous rankings projects, including by U.S. News – showed that Utah has wide gender gaps when it comes to areas like pay, business leadership and mental health. According to the Best States analysis, women in Utah made only 73 cents per dollar earned by men – the largest income gap of any state.
“It’s like fingers on the chalkboard to me sometimes when we get the accolades,” Madsen says. “That’s great. We need a good economy and we want to keep that. Yet, we need a lot more people in Utah to understand, you know, we’re not going to keep that economy unless we’re going to really look at diversity in terms of gender and race.”
Some in the state are trying to change things for the better. The Utah Women & Leadership Project effort A Bolder Way Forward aims to “help more Utah women and girls thrive” by focusing on 18 areas “where change needs to occur,” ranging from entrepreneurship and the gender pay gap to domestic violence and sexual harassment. Teams and leaders focused on such areas have set data-centered goals targeting improvement by 2026 and 2030.
Madsen also mentions ShePlace, a Utah-based network focused on the path to financial freedom for women. She is hopeful such efforts will pay off in real life – and in the data.
“I think in many ways, we deserve to be No. 1,” Madsen says. “In other ways, there’s just so much work to be done. But, I guess I have faith. We’re moving in that direction.”