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By Heather Corcoran
Here at Time Out New York, we know that New York is special from Manhattan to Manhasset, Astoria to Albany and Bushwick to Buffalo. But somehow, not everyone in the country has gotten the message that we're called the Empire State for a reason.
In its first-ever blog-baiting Best States rankings, U.S. New & World Report has placed our fair land a middling 17th out of these 50 United States based on 10,000 data points across seven categories: health care, education, infrastructure, crime, opportunity, economics and government.
The city ranks particularly low when it comes to economic factors, including affordability (48th), cost of living (49th)—no surprise to anyone who's tried to find an apartment here—opportunity (44th) and employment (33rd). Also dragging down the numbers were Albany's political scandals, which place the state as 30th in terms of integrity. To make matters worse, New York came in dead-last in commute time and inequality. The city fared better in a few metrics, including measures of crime (5th), public health (4th) and public transit use (1st, duh).
Need proof the survey is bogus? Massachusetts—home to the Red Sox, lobster rolls and the worst accent on earth—came in at the top of the list, while our neighbors across the Hudson made it to number 14. So Governor Cuomo, it's time to send a message to Rochester: Start pulling your weight.