With Earth Day this Friday, billions of taxpayer dollars being devoted to environmental-protection efforts and energy costs eating a significant portion of the average household’s income, the personal finance website WalletHub has released its report on 2016’s Greenest States.
In order to showcase the states doing right by Mother Earth and calling out those seemingly intent on spoiling things for future generations, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states in terms of 17 key metrics that speak to the health of the current environment as well as the environmental impact of people’s daily habits. Our data set ranges from “Total Municipal Solid Waste per Capita” to “Energy Efficiency Score” to “Carbon Dioxide Emissions per Capita.”
| Greenest States | Least Green States | ||||
| 1 | Vermont | 41 | Idaho | ||
| 2 | Washington | 42 | Arkansas | ||
| 3 | Massachusetts | 43 | Kentucky | ||
| 4 | Oregon | 44 | Louisiana | ||
| 5 | Minnesota | 45 | Oklahoma | ||
| 6 | Maine | 46 | Nebraska | ||
| 7 | Connecticut | 47 | West Virginia | ||
| 8 | New York | 48 | Montana | ||
| 9 | New Hampshire | 49 | North Dakota | ||
| 10 | New Jersey | 50 | Wyoming | ||
Comparing the Best & Worst:
- Blue States are greener, with an average rank of 14.92, compared with Red States, which have an average rank of 36.96. (1=Best)
- Missouri has the lowest municipal solid waste per capita, 0.82 tons, which is three times lower than in Hawaii, the state with the highest, 2.79 tons.
- Maine has the highest percentage of recycled municipal solid waste, 48 percent, which is 48 times higher than in Louisiana, the state with the lowest, 1 percent.
- New York has the lowest per-capita carbon footprint, 8.52, which is 14 times lower than in Wyoming, the state with the highest, 120.55.
- Oregon has the highest percentage of energy consumption from renewable sources, 46.6 percent, which is 17 times higher than in Delaware, the state with the lowest, 2.7 percent.
- New York has the highest percentage of people who do not drive to work, 45.1 percent, which is three times higher than in Alabama, the state with the lowest, 13.8 percent.
