One State Is the Least Green by a Lot

It's no surprise to learn that some states are greener than others, but the gap between the first and last states in a new WalletHub ranking is striking. Vermont came in at No. 1 with a score of 78 out of 100, far ahead of No. 50 West Virginia's score of 19. The site ranked all the states on a slew of factors, everything from water and air quality, to the number of "green" buildings, to wonkier metrics such as per capita emissions of carbon dioxide. West Virginia ranked in the bottom three of the broad categories of environmental quality, eco-friendly behaviors, and climate change contributions. The top and bottom states:

Greenest states:

1. Vermont 78.44
2. New York 77.72
3. California 75.46
4. Hawaii 75.25
5. Maryland 74.70
6. Connecticut 72.45
7. Massachusetts 71.56
8. Minnesota 70.13
9. Washington 69.67
10. Maine 69.60

At the bottom:

41. Indiana 48.61
42. North Dakota 47.16
43. Oklahoma 44.94
44. Alaska 40.91
45. Kentucky 40.16
46. Wyoming 36.44
47. Alabama 36.11
48. Mississippi 34.34
49. Louisiana 29.57
50. West Virginia 19.30

See the full rankings and methodology. (Or check out other notable lists.)