Minnesota Among The Nation’s ‘Greenest’ States

With 11,842 lakes and 64 state parks, Minnesota has a big responsibility when it comes to taking care of the environment. Luckily for the 5.7 million folks living in the state, the people of Minnesota have done an excellent job in that regard.

The folks at WalletHub recently rated every state on its eco-friendliness and Minnesota ranked very highly on the list, thanks in large part to its air and water quality.

“It’s important for every American to do their part to support greener living and protect our environment. However, it’s much easier being green in some states than others. For example, if a state doesn’t have a great infrastructure for alternative-fuel vehicles, it becomes much harder for residents to adopt that technology," Chip Lupo of WalletHub said in a press release. "Living in a green state is also very beneficial for the health of you and your family, as you benefit from better air, soil and water quality.”

The categories of the study included Environmental Quality Rank (air, water and soil quality plus energy-efficiency), Eco-Friendly Behaviors (green buildings, renewable energy consumption, gasoline consumption) and Climate Change (carbon dioxide emissions, methane emissions, nitrous-oxide emissions).

In the first category, Minnesota ranked fourth overall and ranked first in the soil quality subcategory. In addition, Minnesota ranked ninth in water quality and 21st for air quality.

Minnesota finished 13th in percent of renewable energy consumption and 20th in gasoline consumption per capita.

When ranking all 50 states, Minnesota finished sixth overall. Vermont was the greenest state, Hawaii is second and is followed by New York, Maryland and Maine.

West Virginia is the least green state, according to WalletHub, followed by Louisiana, Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi respectively.