Colorado is #1 in this state ranking

We’re #1 in the entire country for education. Number one! We sure are smart!

We jumped from #3 last year to the top spot, ranking #3 in higher education and #9 in Pre-K through 12th grade. That’s something to be really proud of.

Here the thing though, Colorado landed at #17 overall for best states to live in. Not bad, but we did slide from #11 last year, so that stings a little.

So U.S. News & World Report just dropped their 2026 Best States rankings and the rankings look at eight categories: economy, education, healthcare, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime & corrections, and natural environment.

We scored great in economy (#9), healthcare (#10), and infrastructure (#10). Where we got dragged down? Crime & corrections at #47 and fiscal stability at #45.

Utah grabbed the #1 overall spot for the fourth year in a row. Our neighbor Wyoming sits right above us at #16.

So we’ve got work to do — but Coloradans, our kids are getting a top-notch education, and that matters.

Read where the states stacked up here.