The Milken Center’s first major research project combines data on health, safety, personal freedom and other categories, with Massachusetts coming out on top. The American Dream is about more than just financial resources, which is why a new index seeks to quantify prosperity using 230 different data measures to assess well-being in states across the US. The results: Massachusetts comes out on top, with Mississippi bringing up the rear.
The index is the first major research issued by the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream, an offshoot of the Milken Institute focused on economic and social mobility. The Washington-based center steps from the White House is scheduled to open to the public in 2024. Prosperity is defined using 11 broad topic areas including health, education, natural environment, business environment, personal freedom and safety and security.
“All of these things come together to impact our sense of well-being and prosperity,” Kerry Healey, the center’s president, said in an interview. “If you just focus on the economic piece, you’d be missing a lot.” Massachusetts ranks as the top state for education, the second highest for health after Hawaii, and the third highest for “personal freedom,” which includes data on incarceration, social tolerance and discrimination. Its lowest score is 27th for economic quality.
Half of the Top 10 states are in the Northeast, along with Minnesota, Utah, Wisconsin, Colorado and Washington. New York ranks 13th, with high scores for health and natural and business environment. It comes in lowest, at 44th, for “social capital,” which uses metrics on family and personal relationships and civic participation to gauge “how cohesive a society is.” Utah is rated first for social capital; Nevada is last.
