The Greenest States in the U.S Have Been Revealed & Here’s Who Came Out on Top

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Article courtesy of Enhesa.

• The most sustainable states have been revealed, with California topping the ranking with the highest sustainability score of 68.27 out of 100
• North Dakota is the least sustainable state, with the lowest sustainability score of just 24.47 out of 100
• The study assessed five metrics by state, including emissions, electric vehicle usage, recycling, energy consumption, and landfill waste

A new study has revealed the most sustainable US states, based on five key sustainability metrics, and California has been named the most environmentally friendly state.

Enhesa, a global compliance and sustainability software, conducted a study, analyzing each state’s performance across five key sustainability metrics: ‘Eco-Friendly Vehicles,’ ‘Emissions,’ ‘Recycling,’ ‘Energy,’ and ‘Waste’. Each metric was scored out of a possible 100 points and averaged to produce an overall sustainability score. This score was used to create a final ranking, revealing the most environmentally conscious states.

The Most Sustainable US States

California leads the pack as the most sustainable state, boasting an impressive overall score of 68.27 out of a possible 100 points. The state scored impressively within the ‘Eco-Friendly Vehicles’ metric, securing the second-highest spot nationwide. This is largely because the state has the highest percentage of hybrid or electric vehicles in the country at 7.7%. California also scored highly for the ‘Energy’ metric, using the second least energy per capita of all fifty states. This makes California a great place to move to if you want to be environmentally responsible.

Vermont secures the second spot with an overall score of 63.88. The state’s standout performance lies within the ‘Energy’ metric, where it claims the top spot nationwide, boasting the country’s lowest energy consumption per capita. Despite its commendable performance across various metrics, Vermont still has room for improvement, particularly in its management of landfill waste, where it currently ranks 44th out of the 50 states.

Maine claims third spot, boasting a score of 63.64 out of 100. This state excels in the ‘Recycling’ metric, achieving the highest score nationwide by recycling an impressive 74% of its packaging material. Additionally, Maine also performed well in the ‘Energy’ metric, consuming the third-least energy per capita, further highlighting the state’s commitment to sustainability.

Securing the fourth spot in the ranking is Oregon, boasting an overall sustainability rating of 59.5 out of 100. Oregon’s standout performance lies in the ‘Recycling’ metric, where it achieved the second spot nationwide by recycling an impressive 66% of its packaging materials.

Fifth place goes to New Hampshire, with a score of 57.35. New Hampshire ranked in the top ten states for the ‘Emissions’ and ‘Waste’ metrics. Impressively, the state has the fourth-lowest landfill waste per capita. Clearly, New Hampshire shows a solid dedication to sustainability across various measures.

Nevada secures its spot as the sixth most sustainable state, boasting an overall score of 56.89. This desert state distinguishes itself with the fifth-lowest landfill waste per 100,000 people and the sixth-lowest energy consumption per capita.

Massachusetts secures the seventh position with a commendable overall score of 56.45 out of 100. Notably, Massachusetts claims the top spot for the ‘Emissions’ metric, primarily due to its remarkably low CO2 production compared with the rest of the country, ranking second lowest in the nation.

Despite being home to the largest US city, the state of New York earned the eighth spot with a sustainability score of 56.43, positioning itself as one of the nation’s most environmentally friendly states. New York shows strong performance across metrics such as ‘Emissions,’ ‘Recycling,’ and ‘Energy,’ placing it in the top 25% of the country. However, its rankings were notably lower for ‘Eco-Friendly Vehicles’ and ‘Waste.’ While New York has made commendable strides, there remain areas for improvement.

Rhode Island secures the ninth place with an overall score of 55.55. While the state performed strongly in most metrics, it landed in last place for ‘Eco-Friendly Vehicles,’ suggesting that the transition to electric vehicles has yet to gain traction in Rhode Island.

Rounding out the top ten, Maryland scored 53.68 out of a possible 100. While boasting moderate ratings across various metrics, it particularly excels in ‘Emissions,’ securing the second position nationwide and earning its reputation as one of the best states for a breath of fresh air.

The Least Sustainable US States

On the other end of the scale, the study also investigated the least sustainable states.

Leading the ranking as the least environmentally conscious state is North Dakota , with a low score of 24.47 out of a possible 100. Despite scoring strongly for ‘Eco-Friendly Vehicles’, North Dakota ranked last for ‘Emissions’, with their CO2 emissions per capita increasing by 205% since 1970, by far the largest increase in the country. Additionally, North Dakota’s performance in the ‘Recycling’ and ‘Waste’ metrics is subpar, placing 34th and 43rd, respectively. Evidently, there is room for improvement in the state’s disposal methods.

Securing the second spot, Alaska earned a disappointing score of 27.88 out of 100. The state ranked last in the ‘Energy’ and ‘Recycling’ metrics, indicating a lack of environmental concern in Alaska. Alarmingly, Alaska only recycles 16% of its material packaging, marking the lowest rate in the country.

Ranking as the third least sustainable state, Louisiana achieved an overall sustainability score of just 29.51 out of 100. The state performed poorly across critical metrics such as ‘Emissions,’ ‘Recycling,’ and ‘Energy,’ ranking in the bottom ten nationwide.

Securing the fourth least sustainable state position, West Virginia received an overall score of 29.54. Notably, the state ranked third worst for both ‘Energy’ and ‘Emissions,’ underscoring the need to explore investments in more sustainable energy practices.

Mississippi ranked as the fifth least sustainable state, with a meager score of just 32.97 out of 100. The state ranked second worst in ‘Recycling,’ with only 17% of its material packaging being recycled.

Kentucky and Wyoming are the sixth and seventh least sustainable states, scoring 33.44 and 33.70, respectively. Both states exhibited poor performance across various metrics, notably ranking among the bottom ten states for ‘Energy’ due to their high energy consumption per capita.

In eighth and ninth places, Arkansas scored 34.15, and Alabama scored 35.45. Arkansas faced challenges, particularly in ’Energy’, with the eighth-highest energy consumption per capita. Alabama’s weakest area is ’Recycling,’ with only 22% of its material packaging being recycled, the third-lowest rate in the country.

South Carolina completes the ten least sustainable states with an overall sustainability score of 38.55 out of 100. The state consistently performed poorly across all metrics, indicating a need for improvement.

Commenting on the findings, CEO of Enhesa, Peter Schramme says: “This study highlights the differing levels of sustainability across America, and identifies the states that actually prioritize sustainability the most.

“From California’s sustainable transportation systems to Maine’s recycling initiatives, it’s clear which states are leading the way in a greener and more sustainable lifestyle. For those states that don’t appear as high on the list, both residents and corporations alike should take steps to consider a more efficient practice and approach to their lifestyles.”

Methodology and Sources

A total of nine factors, within five sustainability metrics were used to compile the index. The raw data for each factor was cleaned, checked, and standardized on the same scale from 0 to 10, where 0 and 10 represent the worst and best values present in the data to allow for accurate comparison between factors. Factors for which a high score would be negative were subtracted from 10 to invert their scoring.

Each factor was assigned weighting, reflecting its importance in the analysis. The factors, their source, and their percentage weightings are as follows:

1. Percent of vehicles in the state that are hybrid or EV source (11.11% weighting):  https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicle-registration

2. Percent of vehicles in the state that use alternative fuels (not EV or hybrid) (11.11% weighting): https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicle-registration

3. Metric tons of energy-related carbon dioxide per person in the state, 2021(11.11% weighting): https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/state/

4. Percent per capita increase in CO2 emissions, 1970-2021 (11.11% weighting): https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/state/

5. Percent of consumer packaging material that is successfully recycled (11.11% weighting): https://eunomia.eco/reports/the-50-states-of-recycling-2023/

6. Per capita million Btu energy consumption (11.11% weighting): https://www.eia.gov/state/seds/data.php?incfile=/state/seds/sep_sum/html/rank_use_capita.html&sid=US

7. Landfill waste per 100K (tons) (11.11% weighting): https://www.epa.gov/lmop/landfill-technical-data

8. Percent of landfill gasses consisting of Methane (11.11% weighting): https://www.epa.gov/lmop/landfill-technical-data

9. Percent of energy production from renewables (11.11% weighting): https://www.fool.com/research/renewable-energy-by-state/

Once the weightings were assigned, the total score for the factors was calculated, producing an overall index score out of 100 for each entry, upon which the final ranking is based.

Full Ranking: Most Sustainable US States