The Most Environmentally Friendly States
The Greenest States Ahead of Earth Day 2022
Friday, April 22 is Earth Day and while travelers clearly have sustainability on their minds in 2022 some U.S. states are faring better and putting more work in than others when it comes to being green. Personal finance website WalletHub recently compared each of the 50 states across 25 key metrics of environmental friendliness, including air, water and soil quality as well as energy and gasoline consumption per capita. The factors were grouped into three different broader categories, including environmental quality (35 points), eco-friendly behaviors (35 points) and climate change contributions (30 points). WalletHub scores ranged from 20.65 (50th-ranked West Virginia) to 79.77 for the greenest state in America. Here’s a look at the top 10 most environmentally friendly states in the country in 2022.
10. Maine
Rounding out the top 10, Maine is tied with three other states for the highest percentage of renewable energy consumption, WalletHub found. Overall, New England’s largest state ranks fifth nationwide for eco-friendly behaviors and 10th for environmental quality.
9. South Dakota
South Dakota is an outlier in the Great Plains when it comes to excelling at being green. Like Maine, South Dakota is tied for the highest percentage of renewable energy consumption and is also tied for the fifth-highest soil quality in the country.
8. Connecticut
Boasting the fifth-lowest energy consumption per capita, Connecticut ranks tops in the nation when it comes to climate change contributions. This all-important category takes into account carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated greenhouse gas emissions per capita.
7. Minnesota
Tied for the highest soil quality of any state in the country, Minnesota also ranks a stellar fourth for environmental quality, a category that also considers air and water quality as well as a state’s energy-efficiency score.
6. Massachusetts
Massachusetts trails only neighboring Connecticut in terms of climate change contributions and is tied with several other states for the highest water quality in the nation. What’s more, Massachusetts is home to the third-most LEED-certified or “green” buildings per capita.
5. California
Ranking third for eco-friendly behaviors and sixth for climate change contributions, California is among the top-five greenest states in the country despite having the lowest air quality. On the flip side, the Golden State is tied for the highest water quality in the U.S.
4. Maryland
In the Mid-Atlantic, Maryland is one of only two U.S. states to rank inside the top 10 across all three categories that WalletHub analyzed. Maryland is tied for the highest water quality in the country and trails only Colorado when it comes to the most LEED-certified buildings per capita.
3. Hawaii
The Aloha State ranks best in the country for environmental quality, tying for the highest water and soil quality and tying with New Hampshire for the second-highest air quality nationwide. The Hawaiian Islands also boasts the second-lowest gasoline consumption in gallons per capita.
2. New York
Ranking inside the top 10 across all three categories, including third for environmental quality, New York has the lowest gasoline consumption per capita, the third-lowest energy consumption per capita and is tied for the fifth-highest quality soil in the country. Still, it’s not enough to propel it into the top spot.
1. Vermont
Literally nicknamed the Green Mountain State, Vermont is also the greenest state in the country, easily edging out the rest of the country with an overall WalletHub score of 79.77. Vermont ranks first for eco-friendly behaviors and second for environmental quality. What’s more, the state boasts the fifth-highest air quality and the fifth-highest percentage of renewable energy consumption.