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N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – North Dakota has been recognized as the overall fourth-best states in the country in U.S. News & World Report’s first-ever “Best States” rankings released Tuesday.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum welcomed the recognition, saying it underscores the state’s commitment to excellence across all sectors.

“We’re thrilled that North Dakota placed higher than all but three other states in the ‘Best States’ rankings,” Burgum said. “Our top-five position is a testament to the state’s innovative and hardworking people and a strong commitment to health, education and the economy from leaders at all levels. At the same time, we recognize there is room for improvement, and that begins with creating vibrant cities, diversifying our economy and reinventing government to be more efficient and responsive to citizens.”

To determine the Best States rankings, U.S. News & World Report measured seven categories: health care, education, infrastructure, crime and corrections, opportunity, economy and government.

North Dakota had the second-best economy, the sixth-best infrastructure and the seventh-best government efficiency in the rankings.

Drilling down further, North Dakota ranked first in commute time and growth of young population, third in labor force participation and fourth in both Medicare quality and two-year college graduation rate.

U.S. News evaluated the states across 68 metrics to create 28 rankings. The rankings are based on tens of thousands of data points provided by consulting firm McKinsey & Co., which produced a first-of-its-kind Leading States Index to give public sector leaders a snapshot of how citizens experience their states. In calculating the rankings, categories were weighted based on a national “citizen experience” survey, conducted by McKinsey, that asked people to prioritize each subject in their state and provide their levels of satisfaction with government services.