This State's Health Care Ranks No. 1

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services estimates that the average American spends more than $12,000 annually on health care—and that's not even counting the costs incurred by COVID. That's why it's beneficial, if possible, to set down roots in a place where you can get the most bang for your health care buck. WalletHub set out to see how the various US states and the District of Columbia rank in that regard. It looked at more than three dozen metrics across three main categories: cost, including doctor, dentist, and hospital expenses, as well as average monthly insurance premiums; access (i.e., available hospital beds, ER wait times, and doctors and nurses per capita); and outcomes (think mortality rates for infants and mothers, life expectancy, and cancer rates). Rhode Island came in at No. 1 on WalletHub's list, while Mississippi brought up the rear. See which other states made the top and bottom 10:

Best States

1. Rhode Island
2. Massachusetts (No. 1 in "Access" and "Outcomes" categories)
3. Hawaii
4. Minnesota
5. Maryland (No. 1 in "Cost" category)
6. Vermont
7. Colorado
8. Connecticut
9. Maine
10. Iowa

Worst States

42. Tennessee
43. Georgia
44. Texas
45. South Carolina
46. West Virginia
47. Arkansas
48. Oklahoma
49. Louisiana
50. Alabama (last in "Access" category)
51. Mississippi (last in "Outcomes" category)

See how other states ranked here. (This is the healthiest city in America.)