Wisconsin Ranks High On The 2026 Best States List
I get it! Wisconsin just got some major love on a national level and I am definitely on board with this. The Cheesehead State was just named one of the best states to live this year. That is definitely a reason to celebrate.
U.S. News & World Report just released their annual ranking of the states, going from the best states in the country to...well, places you might not want to live in 2026.
Analysts base this list on about eight different categories: education, healthcare, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime and corrections and natural environment.
What do you get when you weigh all these different factors? A ranking of the best states for this year. (And some you probably don't want to move to right now, according to this list!)
Wisconsin Makes Top 15 For Best Places To Live This Year
Wisconsin did great in this 2026 ranking, coming in at number 15 out of all the states in the country. Wisconsin did well in all eight categories but really shined when it comes to education, being ranked the fifth best state for it.
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About forty-six percent of the population is college-educated, after all. Wisconsin also ranked number twelve when it comes to opportunity, which takes affordability and equality into account, along with economic opportunity as well. Wisconsin is excelling in this way, according to this ranking.
Of course, Wisconsin also ranked high when it comes to natural environment. This includes air and water quality. Wisconsin ranked number thirteen here, which likely helped its high ranking on the overall list as well.
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I think Wisconsin is a very underrated state! Who doesn't love cheese curds and everything else the state has to offer? It's one of the best.
As for Minnesota, we did a little bit better, coming in at number three. Both are impressive! I will cheers to that.
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