Is NH the best state?

Honk if you think New Hampshire rules the road. If you follow this column, you may remember that in the last one, I reported how New Hampshire stacked up against the other 49 states and Washington, D.C.with regard to automobiles and their drivers. For those of you interested in aesthetics, our license plate was rated only 17th in attractiveness, but we rose to 2nd for its motto ("Live free or die"). On a more serious note,  Granite State drivers were rated 3rd in the nation for driving safety.  Not bad. Not bad.

All right.  Those were the preliminaries. That was spring training. Now, it's the World Series. Which state is the best one? Which state is ranked No. 1 overall?

Politico Magazine  (01/24/14) "rounded up 14 different state rankings from reputable sources like the Census Bureau, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the FBI, and on important factors such as high school graduation rates, per capita income, life expectancy, and crime rate. Then we averaged out each state's 14 rankings to come up with a master list . . ."

How did New Hampshire fare? We have a sound economy. New Hampshire was ranked 7th in per capita income ($32,758); had the 7th highest home ownership rate; the 7th highest percentage of residents employed in science, technology, engineering and mathematics jobs (6.9 percent); the 10th lowest unemployment rate(5.1 percent); the 5th least income inequality; and the lowest poverty rate (8.4 percent).

So, the Granite State is off to a fast start on its economy. What about education? We have the 5th highest high school graduation rate (91.4 percent); the 7th highest Grade 8 math scores; and we're tied for 4th highest Grade 8 reading scores. Okay, we're at the head of the class with regard to education.

But what about health? New Hampshire has the 8th longest life expectancy (80.3 years),  the 5th lowest infant mortality rate; the 17th lowest obesity rate (we need to go on a diet to reduce that rank); and the 8th highest reported well being. Certainly, our rankings for health are nothing to sneeze at.

What about crime? Will our high rankings be stolen by other states? Not to worry. We locked up a high rating, being ranked 3rd among the 50 states and Washington, D.C. for low crime rate.

Okay, what happens when all 14 rankings are averaged together? Which state is ranked No. 1? The final judging takes place in Atlantic City (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). The ghost of Bert Parks takes the stage. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce the runners up  for best American state."(drum roll). "No. 10 Connecticut, No. 9 Washington, No. 8 Iowa, No. 7 Colorado, No. 6 Wyoming, No. 5 Massachusetts (sorry, Mass haters), No. 4 Utah, and No. 3 Vermont."

"Here's the moment we've been waiting for. Only two states are left - Minnesota and New Hampshire. I'd like the two governors, Mark Dayton of Minnesota and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire,  to come to center stage, hold hands, and wait for the result. (deathly and prolonged silence) And the winner is  - New Hampshire! The state rated by Politico Magazine as the best in the nation."

Parks begins to sing "There it is; it's New Hampshire. There it is. Your Ideal. The dream of 50 states was to win the race, but wait - only New Hampshire took first place. . . "

Music swells. Curtains draw to a close. So, there you have it. New Hampshire is named the best state by Politico Magazine. Really.  

If you would like to read more about the rugged individualists, eccentrics, tightwads, and out-of-staters who make New Hampshire the best state in the nation, may I suggest my new book Outtastatahs: Newcomers' Adventures in New  Hampshire.

Outtastatahs  (as in out-of-staters) can be purchased for $13.99 at River Run Books in Portsmouth; at The Water Street Bookstore in Exeter; at the Galley Hatch Restaurant Shop in Hampton and at Gibson's Bookstore in Concord; or on-line at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com.