Washington Is The Second Worst State For…

No State is perfect.  They all have their drawbacks and they all have their advantages.  Washington State ranks pretty high in some areas...and not so high in others.

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For example, Washington State ranks pretty high when it comes to attracting STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) graduates.  Bellevue and Seattle both rank in the top ten in the nation.  The State doesn't fare as well on the list of best and worst run cities.  Seattle is 115 and Tacoma 142 out of 149 cities.  Spokane was highest at 67.

Where the State really ranks as one of the worst won't come as a surprise to anyone.  People complain about it on both sides of the Cascades and it doesn't ever seem to get better, though why Washington is the second worst in the Country in this particular category has a number of contributing factors.

A new study found the Evergreen State to be the second worst for drivers in America,  Yup... just in front of Hawaii.  Some of the contributing factors were 48th overall in cost of ownership and maintenance, 38th in traffic infrastructure, 36th in safety, and 36th in access to vehicles and maintenance.  But...

That's Not All

The study also found Washington State was 49th in car theft rate, something that has escalated statewide since July of 2021 when the police pursuit changes went into effect.  Average gas prices were 48th overall thanks to the 3rd highest gas prices in the Country as of January 15th.

Of the 31 metrics used in the study, Washington came out looking more like an old jalopy than an off the line performance vehicle.  Road Quality was 46th, Auto maintenance costs were 37th and traffic congestion was 35th overall.

There Were a Couple Things In the Top Half of States

One of the areas the State scored higher in was 19th in car dealerships per capita and 20th in auto repair shops per capita.  Looking for the glimmer of a silver lining.  If you would like to see the full study and look at the metrics and methodology, you can visit Wallethub's survey site by clicking here.