When it comes to the best and worst states to live in for 2026, Missouri ranks near the middle of the pack, according to U.S. News & World Report.
The 2026 Overall Best State Rankings evaluated all 50 states across eight categories, including education, health care, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, natural environment and crime & corrections.
Here’s where Missouri ranked on the list.
Missouri ranked No. 31 in the 2026 edition of the Best States Rankings, maintaining its position from 2025.
The Show Me State scored high marks in some areas:
Missouri ranked No. 8 with respect to opportunity, scoring high in affordability and economic opportunity. Similarly, the state’s fiscal stability and natural environment also rank among the top 20 states nationwide.
On the other end, though, Missouri flatlines when it comes to crime & corrections and health care.
Missouri ranked No. 44 in the nation in crime & corrections, only beating out Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico, Colorado, Oregon and Nevada. The state’s incarceration rate, juvenile incarceration rate and violent crime rate were all higher than the national average.
The Show Me State didn’t fare much better in the health care category, coming in at No. 43 on the list. The state is among the worst for healthcare quality, access and public health, especially when it comes to preventable hospital admissions.
In determining the rankings, U.S. News analyzed 71 metrics across eight categories – education, health care, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, natural environment and crime & corrections.
Some categories were weighted more than others. For example, health care and education were weighted more than crime & corrections and natural environment. Within the categories, each state was given points out of 100, with the best state given 100 points and the worst given zero.
In addition to these point-based ratings, U.S. News surveyed people across the country on how satisfied they were with their state’s performance in the categories. Between 2018 and 2025, U.S. News surveyed more than 56,000 people across the United States.
Here’s a closer look at how the categories were analyzed: