Another Dead-Last Ranking for Louisiana from a National Source

For those of us who live in Louisiana, we know the beautiful things about our people and culture that make it the best place to live; however, when comparing ourselves to other states using various points of data, Louisiana rarely comes out on top.

Louisiana does have plenty of issues to deal with. Still, despite the rankings, I think Louisiana has made strides in secondary education in the last two decades after the being of the TOPS program. The downside? We educate our students in college, and then they leave our state for higher-paying jobs.

We received the 50th ranking for the Crime & Corrections category and the Economy category. There are typically 564 people per 100,000 incarcerated in our state when it comes to adults. As far as the juvenile population, Louisiana's rate is 88 juveniles per 100,000.

When it comes to Louisiana's economy we have multiple struggles in this area. The median income is listed at only $36,000 which is much lower than states even in our own southern region. Add on to that, the Tax Foundation ranked Louisiana as having the 12th worth tax structure. Many families struggle just to provide the basic necessities of life according to the latest data from the ALICE report.

Thirty-two percent of our population is on the cusp of falling into the poverty category while nineteen percent of our population is already there.

When it comes to education Louisiana is not at the bottom. Based on the measuring criteria used, Louisiana came in at number 46 in this category. You can take a look at the entire report in U.S. News and World Report by clicking here.