Nobody ranks states objectively and that's the fun
State rankings are pure personal geography wearing a data costume. People claim to score nature, food, cost of living and weather, but placements track where you've lived, where you vacationed and which state's drivers annoyed you most. The states that always over-perform are the ones with a strong single identity — Hawaii, Colorado, Alaska — while big, complicated states like California and Texas get ranked on politics as much as place. The reliable comedy is watching everyone put their own state one tier too high.