The 10 States With the Worst Infrastructure
These states have the worst combined quality of transportation, energy and internet systems – painting a picture of a country that has long grappled with mediocre infrastructure.
American Infrastructure Needs a Boost
Lawmakers are negotiating a $1 trillion bill that would revitalize America's infrastructure, which is long overdue for repairs and enhancements.
The haggling is tied to disagreements between progressives and moderates over a separate reconciliation bill that carries a much higher price tag for more aggressive reforms, but, if passed, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would provide about $550 billion in new funding for roads, bridges, transit, rail, broadband, electric vehicle charging stations and other infrastructure projects.
A majority of Americans are behind the bill, which was passed by the Senate in August and is now awaiting approval from the House of Representatives. A new Morning Consult/Politico poll released on Monday shows that 56% of voters surveyed support the legislation.
Improvements are sorely needed. The American Society of Civil Engineers in March gave the country a C-minus grade, an improvement over its previous score of D-minus but still considered "mediocre." It was the first time in two decades that the U.S. scored above the D grade range in the organization's report, which is released every four years.
The foundation in some states is worse than others. For the 2021 Best States rankings, U.S. News determined the strength of each state's infrastructure by considering the quality of their transportation, energy and internet systems.
These 10 states are at the bottom of the list, ordered from the ranks of 41 to 50:
10. New Jersey
Energy rank: 40
Internet access rank: 23
Transportation rank: 46
More than a third of New Jersey roads are in poor condition, compared to the national average of 19.9%.
Learn more about New Jersey.
American Infrastructure Needs a Boost
Lawmakers are negotiating a $1 trillion bill that would revitalize America's infrastructure, which is long overdue for repairs and enhancements.
The haggling is tied to disagreements between progressives and moderates over a separate reconciliation bill that carries a much higher price tag for more aggressive reforms, but, if passed, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would provide about $550 billion in new funding for roads, bridges, transit, rail, broadband, electric vehicle charging stations and other infrastructure projects.
A majority of Americans are behind the bill, which was passed by the Senate in August and is now awaiting approval from the House of Representatives. A new Morning Consult/Politico poll released on Monday shows that 56% of voters surveyed support the legislation.
Improvements are sorely needed. The American Society of Civil Engineers in March gave the country a C-minus grade, an improvement over its previous score of D-minus but still considered "mediocre." It was the first time in two decades that the U.S. scored above the D grade range in the organization's report, which is released every four years.
The foundation in some states is worse than others. For the 2021 Best States rankings, U.S. News determined the strength of each state's infrastructure by considering the quality of their transportation, energy and internet systems.
These 10 states are at the bottom of the list, ordered from the ranks of 41 to 50:
10. New Jersey
Energy rank: 40
Internet access rank: 23
Transportation rank: 46
More than a third of New Jersey roads are in poor condition, compared to the national average of 19.9%.
Learn more about New Jersey.
9. Massachusetts
Energy rank: 46
Internet access rank: 31
Transportation rank: 39
Massachusetts has an average commute time of 31 minutes, while the national average is 27.6 minutes.
Learn more about Massachusetts.
8. Arkansas
Energy rank: 35
Internet access rank: 47
Transportation rank: 32
Less than 80% of people in Arkansas have a broadband internet subscription, which is among the lowest percentages in the country.
Learn more about Arkansas.
7. Pennsylvania
Energy rank: 33
Internet access rank: 43
Transportation rank: 47
Pennsylvania ranks near the bottom of the Transportation sub-category, with 27% of its roads in poor condition.
Learn more about Pennsylvania.
6. New Mexico
Energy rank: 18
Internet access rank: 50
Transportation rank: 34
Only about 78% of people in New Mexico have a broadband internet subscription.
Learn more about New Mexico.
5. Connecticut
Energy rank: 48
Internet access rank: 30
Transportation rank: 43
Connecticut has a renewable energy usage share of just 6.7%, with the national average being 11.2%.
Learn more about Connecticut.
4. Louisiana
Energy rank: 41
Internet access rank: 46
Transportation rank: 48
Only 3.5% of energy consumption in Louisiana comes from renewable sources.
Learn more about Louisiana.
3. Mississippi
Energy rank: 42
Internet access rank: 48
Transportation rank: 42
Mississippi – at under 77% – has the lowest percentage of people with a broadband internet subscription.
Learn more about Mississippi.
2. Rhode Island
Energy rank: 45
Internet access rank: 37
Transportation rank: 50
More than half of the roads in Rhode Island are in poor condition – by far the highest share in the country.
Learn more about Rhode Island.
1. West Virginia
Energy rank: 50
Internet access rank: 49
Transportation rank: 49
West Virginia, with more than 31% of its roads in poor condition, ranks last or second-to-last in all three Infrastructure sub-categories.
Learn more about West Virginia.
The 10 States With the Worst Infrastructure:
- West Virginia
- Rhode Island
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Connecticut
- New Mexico
- Pennsylvania
- Arkansas
- Massachusetts
- New Jersey
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