State scorecard
California in the US Political Rank
Every place California holds across our state rankings, in one scorecard. Economy, taxes, education, crime, healthcare, and more, each measured the same way for all 50 states and each linked to the full cited ranking.
#11
of 20 on The Top 20 Energy-Producing States
#50
of 50 on Voting With Their Feet: States Ranked by Migration and Population Growth
16%
Governor Gavin Newsom performance score, rank 50 of 50
12
state rankings that score California
Governor
California's governor, Gavin Newsom (Democrat), holds performance rank 50 of 50 at 16% this week in the Governor Performance Rankings, scored on 263 metrics and updated every Monday.
| Ranking | California's place | Score |
|---|---|---|
| The Top 20 Energy-Producing StatesThe most diversified producer in the table: declining but still-significant crude oil, the nation's largest geothermal output at The Geysers, and leading utility-scale solar generation (EIA). | #11 of 20 | 9.0 |
| States Ranked by Health Care OutcomesLife expectancy among the highest in the nation and an uninsured rate below the national average after the largest Medicaid expansion in the country (CDC NCHS, 2023; Census ACS, 2023). | #14 of 50 | 85.9 |
| States Ranked by K-12 Education OutcomesBelow the national average on all four 2024 NAEP assessments despite operating the nation's largest public school system (NCES, NAEP 2024). | #41 of 50 | 58.9 |
| States Ranked by Dependence on Federal MoneyA per-capita balance of payments of just 342 dollars in 2023, close to break-even, a striking position for the state receiving the largest gross federal spending total in the country; its enormous tax payments cancel most of it (Rockefeller Institute, 2025; Sisney analysis, 2025). | #42 of 50 | 50.3 |
| States Ranked by Fiscal Health: Reserves, Pensions, and What They OweThe largest unfunded pension liability in the country under ALEC's math, roughly $1.53 trillion, more than $35,000 per resident (ALEC). Official plan accounting is kinder, but the direction is not disputed. | #44 of 20 | 41.2 |
| States Ranked by Violent Crime Rate486.0 per 100,000, about 35 percent above the national rate, in the state with by far the largest raw number of reported violent offenses, though its murder rate of 4.5 is below the national average (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2024). | #44 of 50 | 486.0 |
| States Ranked by Total Tax BurdenThe highest top marginal income tax rate in the country and a total burden among the nation's highest (Tax Foundation, 2022). High earners carry an outsized share, which makes revenue volatile. | #45 of 50 | 39.6 |
| States Ranked by Business Climate: What the Major Raters Agree OnThe Tax Foundation places California's tax structure near the bottom of its 2026 index, and the state carried a 5.3 percent unemployment rate in May 2026, highest of any state (Tax Foundation, 2026; BLS, 2026). Scale and venture capital keep it from ranking lower. | #46 of 25 | 38.9 |
| States Ranked by Infrastructure ConditionSecond to last, 49th of 50, in the Reason Foundation's 29th Annual Highway Report on performance and cost-effectiveness (Reason Foundation, 2026). | #47 of 25 | 52.7 |
| Ranking the 50 State Economies of 2026The largest state economy at $4.251 trillion (BEA, 2026), but a 5.3 percent unemployment rate in May 2026, the highest of any state, and the nation's largest net domestic outflow at about 229,100 residents (BLS, 2026; Census Bureau, Vintage 2025). | #48 of 50 | 54.4 |
| States Ranked by Housing AffordabilityA price-to-income ratio around 8.4, and by one 2026 analysis a household needs roughly $192,600 to afford the median home while the median household earns about $100,600 (Visual Capitalist; Splitero, 2026). Median home price: $706,333 (January 2026). | #49 of 25 | 31.7 |
| Voting With Their Feet: States Ranked by Migration and Population GrowthThe largest net domestic outflow in America at about 229,100 residents in the year ending July 2025 (Census Bureau, Vintage 2025). International arrivals and births have historically offset the loss; in 2025, plunging international migration removed that cushion. | #50 of 50 | 20.2 |
Compare nearby states
The Daily Rank
The paid daily briefing: what moved, who ranks where, and the receipts. Or start with the free weekly digest.
Double opt-in. Unsubscribe any time. We never sell your address.