State Rankings

The 2023 Opportunity Index provides Opportunity Scores for all 50 states plus the District of Columbia and for nearly 2,068 counties, which together represent 96 percent of the U.S. population.

Overall United States Opportunity Score: 51.9

In 2023, state scores ranged from 40.3 (New Mexico) to 60.2 (New Hampshire). Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia had scores above the national opportunity score of 51.9, while 23 states had scores below the national score. States scoring above the national value were predominantly in the Northeast, Coastal West, and Northern Midwest regions, while states scoring below the national value were predominantly in the Deep South, Southeast, Southwest, and Appalachia.

Rank State Youth Not In School and Not Working
(# ages 16-24)
1 New Hampshire 12418
2 Minnesota 54569
3 Vermont 8693
4 Iowa 28443
5 Massachusetts 69436
6 Nebraska 19634
7 New Jersey 114488
8 North Dakota 7379
9 Utah 43587
10 Connecticut 40919
11 Hawaii 19995
12 Maine 17607
13 Washington 102297
14 New York 285940
15 District of Columbia 11255
16 South Dakota 10617
17 Kansas 38849
18 Virginia 96915
19 Wisconsin 74099
20 Rhode Island 11475
21 Oregon 62211
22 Maryland 79539
23 Illinois 177066
24 Montana 15289
25 California 572756
26 Idaho 23023
27 Pennsylvania 161790
28 Colorado 71170
29 Michigan 143129
30 Delaware 7866
31 Missouri 73193
32 Alaska 14285
33 Indiana 97612
34 Ohio 150668
35 Wyoming 5338
36 North Carolina 154989
37 Florida 265527
38 Texas 506121
39 Kentucky 77019
40 Georgia 174053
41 Arkansas 55025
42 Tennessee 107966
43 South Carolina 75533
44 Alabama 84338
45 Arizona 102315
46 West Virginia 30679
47 Oklahoma 67026
48 Mississippi 57446
49 Nevada 52807
50 Louisiana 95967
51 New Mexico 50530

Learn more about the Data and Scoring »