Illinois ranked 39th-best U.S. state by Americans in new poll

Americans preferred 38 other states above Illinois in a YouGov poll of the nation’s residents.

SHARE Illinois ranked 39th-best U.S. state by Americans in new poll
BROWN_031921_9.jpg

Chicago skyline seen from Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary, Thursday, March 18, 2021.

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Illinois doesn’t have the oceanfront beaches of Hawaii or mountain ranges of Colorado, but how does it compare to the rest of the U.S. states in the minds of Americans? Apparently not all that well: Illinois ranks just 39th out of 50 in a poll of the nation’s residents published Tuesday.

YouGov, a market research and data company, says it “asked people to choose the better of two states in a series of head-to-head matchups” including all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Each state received a winning percentage based on how often they won those head-to-head matchups in polling.

Hawaii topped the rankings, followed by Colorado, Virginia, Nevada and North Carolina to round out the top five. D.C. finished last, with Alabama, Mississippi, New Jersey and Arkansas in the bottom five.

Illinois came in 39th with a 44% winning percentage, sandwiched between Wisconsin and Idaho. Many of the states at the bottom of the rankings were located in the South or Midwest.

Here’s a full look at the rankings:

Screen_Shot_2021_04_13_at_3.01.09_PM.png

The Latest
Despite getting into foul trouble, which limited him to just six minutes in the second half, Shannon finished with 29 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Cowboy hats, bell-bottoms and boots were on full display Thursday night as fans lined up for the first of his three sold-out shows.
The incident occurred about 3:40 p.m. near Minooka. The horse was successfully placed back into the trailer, and the highway reopened about 40 minutes later. No injuries were reported.
The Hawks conceded the game’s only two goals within the first seven minutes and were shut out for the 12th time this season in a 2-0 defeat Thursday.