State Rankings 2007 Declares Names New Hampshire as Nation's Most Livable State

LAWRENCE, KS. New Hampshire’s hold on the Most Livable State title is rock solid. For the fourth consecutive year, the Granite State today was named the nation’s Most Livable State. The 17th annual award was announced in State Rankings 2007, a reference book of state statistics published by Morgan Quitno Press of Lawrence, Kansas. At the opposite end of the rankings scale, Mississippi moved into last place, a spot it has held for eight of the last nine years.

“New Hampshire does an outstanding job in a number of quality of life areas,” said Scott Morgan, President of Morgan Quitno Press. “The state has the lowest crime and poverty rates in the country. In addition, the citizens of New Hampshire are employed, well educated and involved in their communities.”

This marks the 17th year that Morgan Quitno Press has issued its Livable State Award. Based on 44 factors selected from updated editions of its annual reference book, State Rankings, the Most Livable State Award recognizes a state for its high quality of life. The just-released 2007 edition of State Rankings compares states in more than 550 categories.

“Our award is unique because it does not focus on any one category of data. It takes into account a broad range of economic, educational, health-oriented, public safety and environmental statistics,” said Morgan. “The Most Livable State Award tells an interesting story about life and government in the 50 United States.”

Rounding out the top five spots with New Hampshire are (in descending order) Minnesota, Wyoming, Utah and New Jersey. Bringing up the opposite end of the rankings scale with Mississippi are Louisiana in 49th, Arkansas in 48th, Kentucky in 47th and South Carolina in 46th place.

The Most Livable State Award is one of six designations announced annually by Morgan Quitno Press in conjunction with the publication of its annual reference books.  These other annual awards name the nation’s Safest City and Metro Area (based on data from City Crime Rankings), the Healthiest State (based on data from Health Care State Rankings), the Safest and Most Dangerous States (based on data from Crime State Rankings), the Smartest State (based on data from Education State Rankings), and the Most Improved State (based on data from State Trends.)

A listing of the Most Livable State Award’s 44 factors, rankings of all 50 states for each factor and an explanation of the methodology are available at the Morgan Quitno Press website: www.statestats.com or by calling 785-841-3534.