CHEYENNE- Wyoming is the fourth most livable state in the nation, according to a list put out annually by Morgan Quitno Press. The 2005 list moves Wyoming ahead two slots, up from sixth in 2004 and 14th in 2003.
Factors considered for the Morgan Quitno Press 2005 list of most livable states include:
- crime rate
- homeownership rate
- pupil-teacher ratio in public schools
- hazardous waste sites
- per capita personal income
- highway fatality rate
- percent of population with a bachelor’s degree or higher
- percent of households receiving food stamps
- average weekly earnings of production workers on manufacturing payrolls
- government expenditures for education
- normal daily mean temperature
- percentage of births of low-birth weight babies
- state and local taxes
- teenage birth rate
- public libraries and branches
- unemployment rate
- population per square mile
- poverty rate
- percent of female-headed households living in poverty
- per capita gross state product
- percent of population not covered by health insurance
- personal bankruptcy rate
- percent of days that are sunny
- electricity prices
- infant mortality rate
- public high school graduation rate
- job growth
- median household income
- age-adjusted death rate
- state and local government spending for welfare programs
- fatalities in alcohol-related crashes
- per capita state art agencies appropriations
- deficient bridges as a percent of total bridges
- domestic migration of population
According to its web site, Morgan Quitno Press is located in Lawrence, Kansas. Its specialty is reference books and monthly reports comparing states and cities in different subject areas. The site says Quitno Press is not a subsidiary of any other company and it is not subsidized by any outside interest group.
Tucker Fagan, chief executive officer for the Wyoming Business Council said Wyoming has placed high on nearly all business/industry and quality-of-life ranking lists over the last couple of years.
Fagan said Morgan Quitno’s ranking of Wyoming validates his own opinion of the state. “I retired from the Air Force after 30 years, and didn’t have to live in Cheyenne,” he said. But Fagan said he did choose Cheyenne because of its work ethic, volunteerism and vibrancy. “When they’re saying Wyoming does have a low crime rate, a good style of life, a good quality of life – amen,” he said. “Somebody who doesn’t live here has looked at this and said, ‘Here is a prime place to do business and raise a family.'”
For full listing of the “2005 Most Livable States” visit http://www.morganquinto.com/sr05mlrnk.htm
Source: Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, March 31, 2005