10 best, worst states for healthcare in 2024

Minnesota is the best state for healthcare when it comes to affordability and quality and Mississippi is the worst, according to WalletHub's 2024 ranking published July 29. 

For the annual ranking, the financial services company compared all 50 states across 44 measures related to cost, access and outcomes. Metrics included the cost of a medical visit, average community hospital expenses per inpatient day, life expectancy and hospital beds per capita. A full breakdown of the methodology can be found here. 

Here are the 10 best and worst states for healthcare in 2024, per the ranking: 

Best 

1. Minnesota
   
   
2. Rhode Island
   
   
3. South Dakota
   
   
4. Iowa
   
   
5. New Hampshire
   
   
6. Massachusetts
   
   
7. Utah
   
   
8. Vermont
   
   
9. Maine
   
   
10. Colorado 

Worst

1. Mississippi
   
   
2. Alabama
   
   
3. West Virginia
   
   
4. Georgia
   
   
5. Oklahoma
   
   
6. Alaska
   
   
7. Texas
   
   
8. Arkansas
   
   
9. Louisiana
   
   
10. Florida 

Four more notes: 

• Minnesota (ranked No. 1 overall) placed second in cost rank, sixth in access and 11th in outcomes. 
• Iowa (ranked No. 4 overall) placed first in cost, 30th in access and 12th in outcomes. 
• Rhode Island (ranked. No. 2 overall) placed first in access, 17th in cost and 6th in outcomes. 
• Utah (ranked No. 7 overall) paced first in outcomes, 20th in cost and 34th in access.