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Report: Colorado has the 2nd best economy in country

A quarter of Colorado, quarters of USA and white star. A circle of the US quarters with George Washington and in the middle a quarter of Colorado State.

DENVER (KDVR) — A new analysis from U.S. News and World Report said Colorado has the second-best economy in the country and is the 16th-best state overall.

For the economy, the report looked at employment, the business environment and growth.

U.S. News and World Report said Colorado’s employment situation is the best in the country, while the other two factors rank fourth and fifth in the country respectively.

“While its geographic diversity and natural resources have been an economic boon as well as a draw for tourism, the state’s government has made efforts to diversify the economy over the past decades,” the analysis said.

The only state with a better economy, according to the analysis, is Utah. Idaho, Washington and Massachusetts round out the top five.

For the overall score, Colorado had several other categories where it finished strong including fifth in education and 10th in health care.

But several other categories with low rankings pulled Colorado’s overall score down. In fiscal stability, Colorado ranked 45th, in crime and corrections it ranked 41st and for opportunity, it also ranked 41st.

The top five states overall are in order: Washington, Minnesota, Utah, New Hampshire and Idaho.