State rankings

Food Waste by State

Arizona ranks 1st on Overall Rank, followed by North Dakota (2nd) and Hawaii (3rd); rank 1 is the best. Massachusetts ranks last (50th).

EconomicsEnvironment50 states · 4 metricsUpdated Mar 16, 2023Original page
5 sources
50 of 51 states
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Overall Rank

Green is better, red is worse (rank 1 is the best). Click a place to highlight it.

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All 50 ranked

Best first; rank 1 is the best and has the longest bar.

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

50 states · # = rank by Overall Rank
#
1Arizona1st4th1st17th
2North Dakota2nd12th3rd8th
3Hawaii3rd16th2nd12th
4Nevada4th11th7th7th
5Oklahoma5th15th6th6th
6West Virginia6th19th8th4th
7Wisconsin7th5th4th24th
8Georgia8th6th13th20th
9Montana9th25th9th10th
10South Dakota10th33rd10th1st
11South Carolina11th21st16th9th
12Wyoming12th31st12th2nd
13Mississippi13th29th15th3rd
14North Carolina14th8th17th23rd
15Kentucky15th26th22nd15th
16New Hampshire16th32nd19th14th
17Missouri17th30th20th18th
18New Mexico18th14th5th27th
19Delaware19th38th24th5th
20Tennessee20th34th33rd16th
21Alaska21st41st27th11th
22New Jersey22nd24th34th21st
23Utah23rd22nd11th26th
24Virginia24th9th18th33rd
25Florida25th2nd38th39th
26Maryland26th20th23rd32nd
27Colorado27th23rd35th25th
28Alabama28th28th26th29th
29Michigan29th10th21st40th
30Nebraska30th44th41st13th
31Indiana31st27th25th36th
32Rhode Island32nd37th14th38th
33Minnesota33rd36th28th34th
34Texas34th3rd46th41st
35Arkansas35th39th31st30th
36Kansas36th40th30th35th
37Pennsylvania37th18th36th42nd
38Ohio38th13th32nd43rd
39Idaho39th42nd48th19th
40Maine40th43rd40th31st
41Illinois41st35th42nd37th
42California42nd1st49th50th
43New York43rd7th29th47th
44Iowa44th50th45th22nd
45Washington45th17th37th45th
46Louisiana46th49th43rd28th
47Vermont47th46th39th44th
48Oregon48th45th44th48th
49Connecticut49th47th47th46th
50Massachusetts50th48th50th49th

What correlates with Overall Rank?

Pearson r against 2,113 other state metrics sharing at least 30 states. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that rank better on Overall Rank tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Corporate Tax RankBest State To Incorporate InA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.55 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Business CostsEntrepreneur-Friendly States
    r = −0.55 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. Business CostsBest States to Own a Business
    r = −0.55 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. AffordabilityWorst States to RetireA rank: rank 1 is the worst
    r = −0.52 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Local Taxes RankBest States to RetireA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.51 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Annual Sunlight PercentageSunniest States in the U.S.
    r = −0.50 · moderate · n = 48
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that rank better on Overall Rank tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. ScienceAverage ACT Score by State
    r = +0.54 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. AffordabilityBest States to Raise a FamilyA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = −0.54 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. CompositeAverage ACT Score by State
    r = +0.54 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. ReadingAverage ACT Score by State
    r = +0.53 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. EnglishAverage ACT Score by State
    r = +0.53 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. MathAverage ACT Score by State
    r = +0.53 · strong · n = 50
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state ranks first on Overall Rank?
Arizona ranks first on Overall Rank, at 1st, followed by North Dakota (2nd) and Hawaii (3rd). Rank 1 is the best state.
Which state ranks last on Overall Rank?
Massachusetts ranks last of the 50 US states with data, at 50th.
Where does this food waste by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: States That Waste the Most Food - Lawnstarter; Study Reveals The State That Wastes The Most Food - Tasting Table; The States That Waste The Most And The Least Food - Daily Meal; 25 Concerning Food Waste Statistics in America - Eat Pallet.

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