The source register
The catalog uses federal statistics only: Census survey, population and geography files, BEA price and GDP accounts, CDC health data, FBI crime estimates, NHTSA and FHWA road data, and NOAA climate records. Every state within a measure uses the same product and period. No values come from competitor ranking tables. The normalized registry and observations and individual datasets are downloadable.
| Product | Data period | Release | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACS 1-year geographic comparison tables | 2024 | September 11, 2025 | 42 measures; 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, U.S. benchmark |
| ACS 1-year detailed table B25103 (table-based summary file) | 2024; history from 2021 | September 11, 2025 | Median real estate taxes paid, also divided by median home value for the effective property tax rate |
| NOAA nClimDiv statewide period averages | 1991–2020 average | October 6, 2026 file version | Average temperature and annual precipitation; all 50 states, including NOAA’s Hawaii series added in 2025 |
| Census Gazetteer files | 2026 boundaries | September 8, 2026 | Land and total area; land area also divides population for density |
| BEA GDP by state (SAGDP1) | 2025; history from 2021 | September 30, 2026 | GDP, GDP per capita (with Census population) and real GDP growth |
| NCHS U.S. State Life Tables, 2022 | 2022 | December 4, 2025 | Life expectancy at birth with standard errors; 50 states and DC |
| CDC BRFSS obesity data | 2025; 2024 for California, Mississippi and Nevada | Dataset updated September 24, 2026 | Adult obesity; each state’s latest year, because three states lacked enough 2025 responses |
| FBI estimated crimes | 2025; history from 2022 | August 2026 | Violent, property and murder rates; Florida and North Dakota flagged by the FBI as limited |
| BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics | September 2026 (preliminary); annual averages 2021–2025 | October 20, 2026 | Unemployment rate with model-based margins of error |
| Census State Government Tax Collections | Fiscal year 2025 | April 15, 2026 | State tax collections per person |
| DOL state minimum wage laws and state labor departments | Rates in effect October 23, 2026 | DOL table updated July 1, 2026 | Minimum wage; 2026 changes checked against each state |
| State revenue departments | Rates in effect October 23, 2026 | Checked October 23, 2026 | State sales tax rates; each state’s source is in the CSV download |
| NHTSA FARS and FHWA table VM-2 | 2023 | April 1, 2026 (FARS final file) | Traffic deaths per 100 million vehicle miles |
| Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 | July 1, 2025; history from 2020 | January 27, 2026 | Population, annual change and growth, domestic/international migration and natural-change counts and rates |
Additional sources: BEA SARPP, 2024 regional price parities, released February 19, 2026; ACS 2024 1-year housing PUMS, released December 4, 2025. The latter supplies three independently calculated means, with 80 replicate weights per household. Full reproduction method.
What “updated” means
Data year identifies the period measured. Release date identifies when the producer published the dataset. Site update identifies when our edition incorporated it. These dates are not interchangeable. The first edition was incorporated on October 2, 2026, and the expanded edition was reviewed on October 4, 2026. The current edition, which adds property taxes, safety, health outcomes, the economy, geography and climate, was reviewed on October 23, 2026. Download links identify the immutable edition, separately from the producer release.
On October 23, 2026, the Census ACS updates page said the 2025 ACS 1-year estimates are scheduled for release on October 29, 2026. Until we review that release, the catalog uses the verified 2024 files. The next PEP vintage is expected on an annual cycle; its date remains subject to the producer’s schedule.
Rights and attribution
The underlying observations are federal statistical data. We reviewed the Census public-use and citation statement and research transparency policy. Our use covers display, downloadable derived tables, embeds, and public normalized files with attribution. Source attribution does not imply Census endorsement. You may download, analyze, cite, and embed the published statistical tables with attribution to the named producer and Rank the States. BEA data are public domain unless specifically marked otherwise; see BEA reuse guidance. NOAA, CDC, FBI, NHTSA and FHWA data are U.S. Government works; we credit each producer and do not imply endorsement. Facts in our tax and border guides are summarized in our own words with links to the official sources. These permissions do not grant a blanket license to republish our original prose, logo, or code. The reproduction script is provided for checking the calculations; contact the publisher for broader reuse. Source data retain their original status.
Maps use simplified Census cartographic boundaries distributed by us-atlas v3, under its ISC license. Alaska and Hawaii are repositioned. The map is a navigation and comparison aid, not a boundary survey. Reference jurisdictions are labeled in the accompanying table.
What is outside this edition
Income tax rates by bracket, energy, and civic or cultural measures need their own producer reviews and ingestion. Legal rates we do publish, such as minimum wages and sales tax rates, are rechecked against state sources when laws change, usually on January 1 and July 1. Housing costs are not labeled as a general cost-of-living index. Adult attainment is not labeled school quality. No private cost index, commercial listing dataset, or proprietary composite has been licensed or republished.
Our overall ranking of the 50 states uses ten of these measures with published weights. We do not publish state-versus-state articles or a public API. The browser comparison and custom-weight tools are available now.
Update responsibility
The publisher is responsible for this publication’s source review. The maintenance procedure is to check producer release pages monthly and before publication, archive the selected files, validate all states and units, review unexpected differences, and publish all dependent outputs in one build. This is a maintained release process; unattended scheduled ingestion is not enabled.
Send a source concern through Corrections.