The newest study by the researchers at Wallethub.com ranks Massachusetts the fifth safest state during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study considered all 50 states and the District of Columbia (Washington D.C.) for a ranking from first to 51st.
Three important metrics support the ranking for Massachusetts, while it lags in two others. Here is how the state ranking in five important areas in the latest report:
- 2nd – Vaccination Rate
- 4th – Positive Testing Rate
- 6th – Transmission Rate
- 28th – Death Rate
- 30th – Hospitalization Rate
On a scale of zero to 100, Massachusetts received an overall score of 75.99. Overall score is based on a weighted consideration of each of the individual metrics considered.
The top 5 states for highest vaccination rate are all New England states.
- 1st – New Hampshire
- 2nd – Massachusetts
- 3rd – Connecticut
- 4th – Maine
- 5th – Vermont
Only California, Vermont and Hawaii have a lower positive test rate than Massachusetts, which is tied for fourth with Rhode Island.
For transmission rate, only Maine, Michigan, Vermont, Maryland and New Hampshire residents are transmitting the virus less frequently than Massachusetts residents.
The high ranking of other New England states translates into a high overall ranking for New England states. Those state bordering New England are not performing nearly as well.
The other states in the top 10 are Hawaii (2nd – 84.10), Alaska (4th – 76.94), California (6th – 74.51), Utah (8th – 72.83) and District of Columbia (9th – 71.26).
The lowest ranked states in overall score are:
To see the ranking of all states and learn more about the methodology used, see the full study at WalletHub.com.
Image Credit: U.S. Secretary of Defense, COVID-19 vaccination (2020), CC BY 2.0
