COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A new U.S. News & World Report ranking places Ohio among the 10 lowest-ranked states for 2026.
In the annual U.S. study, which evaluates all 50 states, participants were asked to rate how their state is performing across eight categories: education, health care, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, natural environment, and crime and corrections.
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This year, the Buckeye State ranked No. 42 overall, a four-point fall from its 2025 rank at No. 38 and a six-point plunge from its No. 36 rank in 2024. Ohio is now the ninth-worst state in the nation according to the list, putting it behind neighboring states Indiana (No. 30), Kentucky (No. 41) and Pennsylvania (No. 40). Only West Virginia (No. 44) and Michigan (No. 46) fared worse in the rankings.
The news comes about two months after CNBC rated Ohio as its top state for business for 2026. Gov. Mike DeWine said that ranking “proves that Ohio is the best place in America for business and all that comes along with it, including jobs, quality of life and opportunities for everyone to live up to their God-given potential.”…