New Hampshire ranks first in our 2026 comparison of states with the best healthcare, followed by Massachusetts, Hawaii, Rhode Island and Minnesota. New Hampshire leads WalletHub’s July 2026 healthcare ranking and the latest America’s Health Rankings annual report, while Massachusetts ranks first in the Commonwealth Fund’s most recent state health-system scorecard. Each organization measures a different aspect of care, which is why their winners do not always match.
For someone choosing where to live, access to doctors, hospitals, insurance and affordable treatment can matter more than a state’s overall score. The tables below show the leading and lowest-ranked states across three published studies. A separate hospital-safety section covers another question readers frequently ask: which state has the best hospitals?
Best and Worst States for Healthcare in 2026: Key Findings
- Best overall in our combined ranking: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Rhode Island and Minnesota.
- Best in WalletHub 2026: New Hampshire, with Iowa leading its cost dimension, North Dakota access and New Hampshire outcomes.
- Best in the latest Commonwealth Fund State Scorecard: Massachusetts (2025 edition).
- Bottom five in our combined ranking: Mississippi, West Virginia, Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana. The 10 lowest states appear in a dedicated table below.
- Hospital safety: Connecticut had the highest percentage of A-graded hospitals in Leapfrog’s spring 2026 state comparison. That measures safety, not every aspect of hospital care.
Healthcare Rankings by State: All 50 States
The 50-state table brings together three published measures: WalletHub’s July 2026 healthcare study, the Commonwealth Fund’s latest State Health System Performance Scorecard (2025), and the 2025 America’s Health Rankings Annual Report, published in 2026. Each state receives an equal-weight average of its position in those three studies. This is our editorial comparison, not an official government healthcare-quality index.
We exclude Washington, D.C. from the two rankings that include it and calculate positions among the 50 states only. Lower average ranks perform better. Because America’s Health Rankings measures broader health conditions, the combined table is useful for comparison but should not be treated as a pure hospital-quality score.
| 2026 Combined Rank | State | WalletHub 2026* | Commonwealth Fund* | America’s Health Rankings | Average Source Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1.7 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3.0 |
| 3 | Hawaii | 5 | 2 | 9 | 5.3 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | 4 | 4 | 10 | 6.0 |
| 5 | Minnesota | 2 | 14 | 6 | 7.3 |
| 6 | Vermont | 16 | 7 | 3 | 8.7 |
| 7 | Connecticut | 15 | 10 | 4 | 9.7 |
| 8 | Colorado | 9 | 9 | 12 | 10.0 |
| 9 | Maryland | 17 | 6 | 8 | 10.3 |
| 10 | Iowa | 3 | 17 | 17 | 12.3 |
| 11 | Maine | 7 | 20 | 13 | 13.3 |
| 12 | Utah | 19 | 16 | 5 | 13.3 |
| 13 | Washington | 29 | 8 | 7 | 14.7 |
| 14 | Virginia | 22 | 13 | 14 | 16.3 |
| 15 | North Dakota | 14 | 21 | 15 | 16.7 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | 13 | 12 | 26 | 17.0 |
| 17 | Nebraska | 10 | 23 | 20 | 17.7 |
| 18 | Idaho | 20 | 18 | 16 | 18.0 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 8 | 25 | 21 | 18.0 |
| 20 | New Jersey | 30 | 15 | 11 | 18.7 |
| 21 | Oregon | 33 | 11 | 19 | 21.0 |
| 22 | California | 24 | 18 | 24 | 22.0 |
| 23 | South Dakota | 12 | 31 | 23 | 22.0 |
| 24 | New York | 39 | 5 | 25 | 23.0 |
| 25 | Kansas | 11 | 32 | 27 | 23.3 |
| 26 | Delaware | 31 | 24 | 18 | 24.3 |
| 27 | Michigan | 21 | 22 | 33 | 25.3 |
| 28 | Montana | 18 | 27 | 31 | 25.3 |
| 29 | Illinois | 27 | 26 | 28 | 27.0 |
| 30 | Ohio | 25 | 28 | 34 | 29.0 |
| 31 | North Carolina | 38 | 28 | 22 | 29.3 |
| 32 | Arizona | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32.0 |
| 33 | Indiana | 26 | 34 | 37 | 32.3 |
| 34 | South Carolina | 28 | 35 | 36 | 33.0 |
| 35 | Florida | 36 | 38 | 30 | 34.7 |
| 36 | Missouri | 23 | 42 | 39 | 34.7 |
| 37 | Wyoming | 37 | 39 | 29 | 35.0 |
| 38 | New Mexico | 43 | 28 | 41 | 37.3 |
| 39 | Kentucky | 34 | 36 | 43 | 37.7 |
| 40 | Alaska | 50 | 37 | 35 | 40.7 |
| 41 | Nevada | 35 | 45 | 42 | 40.7 |
| 42 | Tennessee | 41 | 43 | 44 | 42.7 |
| 43 | Georgia | 48 | 44 | 38 | 43.3 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | 40 | 47 | 45 | 44.0 |
| 45 | Alabama | 45 | 41 | 47 | 44.3 |
| 46 | Louisiana | 44 | 40 | 50 | 44.7 |
| 47 | Texas | 47 | 49 | 40 | 45.3 |
| 48 | Arkansas | 42 | 47 | 49 | 46.0 |
| 49 | West Virginia | 46 | 46 | 46 | 46.0 |
| 50 | Mississippi | 49 | 50 | 48 | 49.0 |
*Source positions are calculated among states only, excluding Washington, D.C. where applicable. The combined rank is the simple arithmetic mean of the three listed positions; ties follow source order. When average ranks are tied, states are listed alphabetically. It is an editorial comparison, not an official or clinical quality score.
What Do the Healthcare Rankings Measure?
Healthcare can mean affordability, the availability of doctors and hospitals, the quality of treatment or the health of the people living in a state. Our combined ranking gives equal weight to three existing studies, even though each answers a somewhat different question.
| Source | Edition Used | What It Measures | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| WalletHub | 2026 | 44 metrics covering healthcare cost, access, and outcomes. | 33.3% |
| The Commonwealth Fund | 2025 State Scorecard | 50 indicators covering access and affordability, prevention and treatment, avoidable hospital use and cost, healthy lives, and equity. | 33.3% |
| America’s Health Rankings | 2025 Annual Report, published January 2026 | Overall ranking uses measures across social and economic factors, physical environment, behaviors, clinical care, and health outcomes. | 33.3% |
These sources are not interchangeable. WalletHub is the most directly focused on the consumer question of healthcare cost, access, and outcomes. The Commonwealth Fund looks closely at health-system performance. America’s Health Rankings includes broader conditions that affect health as well as medical care. Averaging their ranks rewards states that perform consistently rather than states that dominate only one narrow category.
We also reviewed the 2026 U.S. News Best States healthcare category as an outside comparison. U.S. News ranks Hawaii first, Massachusetts second, and Connecticut third. Because our core table is built from three sources with complete comparable state-level rankings, U.S. News is used as a cross-check instead of a fourth component.
What State Has the Best Healthcare in 2026?
New Hampshire ranks first in our 2026 healthcare comparison. It is #1 in WalletHub’s healthcare ranking, #1 in America’s Health Rankings, and #3 in the Commonwealth Fund’s state health-system scorecard. That consistency gives it the best average source position of any state.
There is no universal winner across every study. Massachusetts ranks first with the Commonwealth Fund and second in both our composite and America’s Health Rankings. Hawaii ranks first in the 2026 U.S. News healthcare category, second with the Commonwealth Fund, fifth with WalletHub, and third in our combined ranking.
| Ranking | #1 State | What the Ranking Emphasizes |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal 2026 Composite | New Hampshire | Consistency across three national rankings |
| WalletHub 2026 | New Hampshire | Cost, access, and outcomes |
| Commonwealth Fund | Massachusetts | Health-system performance |
| America’s Health Rankings | New Hampshire | Health outcomes and their drivers |
| U.S. News 2026 | Hawaii | Healthcare access, quality, and public health |
Top 10 States With the Best Healthcare
1. New Hampshire
New Hampshire is the most consistent performer in the current data. WalletHub ranks it first overall for healthcare and first for outcomes, while America’s Health Rankings also places it first. The Commonwealth Fund puts the state third. That combination suggests strong performance extends beyond one measure such as hospital quality or insurance cost.
2. Massachusetts
Massachusetts ranks first in the Commonwealth Fund Scorecard, second in America’s Health Rankings, and second in U.S. News’ 2026 healthcare category. WalletHub places it sixth because its model gives healthcare costs a larger role. For someone focused heavily on access and health-system performance, Massachusetts can reasonably be considered a contender for the top position.
3. Hawaii
Hawaii is U.S. News’ #1 healthcare state for 2026 and ranks second with the Commonwealth Fund. WalletHub places it fifth. America’s Health Rankings puts Hawaii ninth, which brings it to third in our composite. The state’s strong outcomes and coverage performance are balanced by the practical challenges of providing specialty care across an island chain.
4. Rhode Island
Rhode Island performs unusually consistently for a small state. It ranks fourth with both WalletHub and the Commonwealth Fund and tenth in America’s Health Rankings. Its result is driven by broad performance rather than a single exceptionally high source rank.
5. Minnesota
Minnesota ranks second with WalletHub and sixth in America’s Health Rankings. The Commonwealth Fund places it lower at 14th among states, which keeps it below the New England leaders in our composite while still placing it comfortably in the top five.
6. Vermont
Vermont demonstrates why combining rankings changes the order. America’s Health Rankings places Vermont third and the Commonwealth Fund ranks it seventh among states, but WalletHub places it 16th. It remains one of the strongest overall performers after those differences are averaged.
7. Connecticut
Connecticut ranks fourth in America’s Health Rankings and tenth among states in the Commonwealth Fund scorecard. U.S. News places Connecticut third in its 2026 healthcare category. WalletHub’s 15th-place result pulls the state slightly lower in our overall list.
8. Colorado
Colorado is one of the most consistent states across all three sources, ranking ninth with WalletHub, ninth in the Commonwealth Fund state-only comparison, and 12th in America’s Health Rankings. There is relatively little disagreement about its overall position.
9. Maryland
Maryland ranks sixth among states with the Commonwealth Fund and eighth in America’s Health Rankings. WalletHub places it 17th. It still makes the top 10 because its health-system and broader health performance remain strong across the other two sources.
10. Iowa
Iowa enters the top 10 largely because of its strong WalletHub result. WalletHub ranks Iowa third overall and first for healthcare cost in its 2026 analysis. The Commonwealth Fund and America’s Health Rankings both place Iowa 17th among states, producing a composite rank of tenth.
Which States Are Best for Healthcare Cost, Access, and Outcomes?
An overall healthcare rank can hide major tradeoffs. WalletHub’s 2026 analysis illustrates this clearly: Iowa ranks first for healthcare cost, North Dakota ranks first for access, and New Hampshire ranks first for outcomes. A person choosing a state because of one particular healthcare need may therefore reach a different conclusion from someone looking only at the overall ranking.
The Commonwealth Fund reaches similar conclusions about the importance of separating dimensions. Its scorecard evaluates access and affordability separately from prevention and treatment, potentially avoidable hospital use and cost, healthy lives, and equity. A state can perform very well in one area while remaining average or weak in another.
This matters especially when comparing expensive Northeastern states with lower-cost states elsewhere. Massachusetts can deliver excellent access and system performance while still facing high healthcare and living expenses. Conversely, lower medical prices do not automatically mean residents have enough physicians, hospitals, insurance coverage, or good health outcomes.
10 Worst States for Healthcare in 2026
Mississippi ranks 50th in our combined comparison, followed by West Virginia, Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana. These states appear near the bottom across multiple sources, although the exact order changes substantially depending on the methodology.
WalletHub’s published 2026 ranking, which includes Washington, D.C., places Alaska last, followed by Mississippi, Georgia, Texas, and West Virginia. The Commonwealth Fund instead places Mississippi last, followed by Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and West Virginia. America’s Health Rankings puts Louisiana last, followed by Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and West Virginia.
That disagreement is important. Alaska’s high healthcare costs cause it to fall sharply in WalletHub, while broader health rankings do not place it nearly as low. Texas performs especially poorly on healthcare access. America’s Health Rankings, which includes social, environmental, and behavioral measures, produces another ordering again.
| Rank | State | Why It Falls in the Bottom 10 |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | Nevada | Lower Commonwealth Fund and America’s Health Rankings positions |
| 42 | Tennessee | Bottom-tier results across all three sources |
| 43 | Georgia | WalletHub places Georgia near the bottom, particularly for access |
| 44 | Oklahoma | Commonwealth Fund ranks Oklahoma near the bottom |
| 45 | Alabama | Low overall health and health-system rankings |
| 46 | Louisiana | Last in America’s Health Rankings and low in the other sources |
| 47 | Texas | Very low access rankings pull down overall performance |
| 48 | Arkansas | Bottom-five results in Commonwealth and America’s Health Rankings |
| 49 | West Virginia | Ranks 46th among states in all three source rankings |
| 50 | Mississippi | Near the bottom in every source used in the composite |
What State Has the Best Hospitals?
Connecticut ranked first for hospital safety in the spring 2026 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade state comparison, followed by Virginia and South Carolina. Connecticut had 64.3% of graded hospitals earning an A, compared with 59.2% in Virginia and 51.0% in South Carolina. Leapfrog orders states by the percentage of graded hospitals that earn an A for preventing medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections. Utah and Montana completed the top five; New Jersey, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina and California made up the rest of the top ten.
That is a hospital safety ranking. It is not evidence that every hospital in Connecticut offers the best specialist care or that hospitals in lower-ranked states provide poor treatment. Leapfrog also left some hospitals ungraded in spring 2026, which is relevant when interpreting statewide percentages. For a planned procedure or ongoing treatment, compare the individual facilities available where you intend to live.
Medicare’s Care Compare allows readers to examine individual hospitals and other providers, while Leapfrog’s spring 2026 state rankings show the hospital safety comparison. Different illnesses and procedures require different clinical expertise, so hospital choice should be made locally even in a highly ranked state.
How to Compare Healthcare Before Moving to Another State
A high statewide healthcare rank is useful when narrowing destinations, but much of the actual experience depends on the city, neighborhood and insurance network. Someone receiving treatment from a specialist needs to know whether there is an appropriate clinic nearby, how quickly new patients are seen and whether that clinician accepts the insurance plan available after a move.
Specialists and Hospitals
For ongoing specialist visits, surgery or treatment for a chronic condition, compare the hospitals and doctors serving the destination, rather than relying on a single state rank. Ask whether care can continue immediately after the move and whether records, referrals and prescription arrangements can be transferred without a gap.
Pregnancy and Family Care
Families planning a pregnancy should look at the local hospital’s labor and delivery services, neonatal care and access to specialists. Counties within the same state can have very different options. A move that looks attractive on a statewide quality score may still leave a family far from the specific medical services it expects to use.
Healthcare in Retirement
Medicare coverage is administered nationally, but physician networks, prescription plans and access to specialist facilities vary by address. Before moving, compare the providers, hospitals, pharmacies and plan options for the ZIP code where you expect to live. Our best states for retirement guide covers the wider location decision.
Rural Access
Rural communities can have longer journeys to an emergency department, limited specialist availability and fewer local options for care. Check actual travel times and whether nearby practices are accepting new patients. State averages conceal some of the largest differences between metropolitan and rural healthcare.
What Is the Difference Between a Healthy State and a State With Good Healthcare?
A healthy population does not automatically prove that its medical system is better. Smoking, exercise, income, education, housing, environmental conditions, age, and many other factors affect life expectancy and disease rates.
America’s Health Rankings intentionally measures those broader drivers. Its overall state ranking uses measures across social and economic factors, physical environment, behaviors, clinical care, and health outcomes. WalletHub is more directly focused on healthcare cost, access, and outcomes. The Commonwealth Fund concentrates on health-system performance.
That is why we show the individual source ranks in the main table. A reader who cares most about medical access can give more attention to access-focused measures, while someone comparing overall population health may place more weight on the America’s Health Rankings result.
Planning an Interstate Move?
Once you have selected a destination and checked the local services your household needs, you can plan the move around the new address, the belongings being transported and your preferred dates. We arrange interstate moving transportation through authorized motor carriers. Review our long-distance moving services when you are ready to plan the route.
Healthcare Ranking Questions
Is the state with the best hospitals also the state with the best healthcare?
Not necessarily. Connecticut led the spring 2026 Leapfrog hospital safety ranking, but New Hampshire leads our combined state healthcare comparison. Hospital safety, insurance coverage, healthcare costs and statewide health outcomes are measured separately.
Which states have the best healthcare for seniors?
New Hampshire and Massachusetts perform well across the broad rankings, but their positions do not identify the best Medicare coverage or providers for every senior. Compare nearby hospitals, primary care and specialist availability, and the Medicare plans offered for a specific ZIP code before moving.
Sources and Update Notes
- WalletHub: Best & Worst States for Healthcare, July 27, 2026.
- Commonwealth Fund: State Health System Performance Scorecard, June 2025 — latest general state scorecard available in October 2026.
- America’s Health Rankings: 2025 Annual Report, released in 2026.
- U.S. News: Best States for Healthcare, 2026 comparison.
- Leapfrog Group: Spring 2026 Hospital Safety Grades and State Rankings.
- Medicare Care Compare, individual hospital and provider comparison.
Last reviewed: October 15, 2026. The 2026 comparison uses the newest general rankings available from each source as of that date. The source editions are not identical and do not contain exclusively 2026 observations.
