With Earth Day around the corner and the U.S. having experienced $92.9 billion in damage from weather and climate disasters during 2023, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2024’s Greenest States, as well as expert commentary, in order to showcase the states that best protect our environment.
WalletHub compared the 50 states in terms of 25 key metrics that speak to the current health of the environment and residents’ environmental-friendliness. The data set ranges from green buildings per capita to the share of energy consumption from renewable resources.
| Greenest States | Least Green States | |
| 1. California | 41. Arkansas | |
| 2. Vermont | 42. New Mexico | |
| 3. New York | 43. North Dakota | |
| 4. Maryland | 44. Wyoming | |
| 5. Washington | 45. Alaska | |
| 6. Minnesota | 46. Kentucky | |
| 7. Hawaii | 47. Mississippi | |
| 8. Maine | 48. Alabama | |
| 9. Connecticut | 49. Louisiana | |
| 10. Massachusetts | 50. West Virginia |
Key Stats
- Blue States are greener, with an average rank of 14.84, compared with Red States, which have an average rank of 36.16. (Rank 1=Greenest)
- South Dakota has the highest share of energy consumption from renewable sources, which is 18.3 times higher than in Delaware, the state with the lowest.
- New York has the highest share of people who do not drive to work, which is 3.2 times higher than in Mississippi, the state with the lowest.
- Vermont has the highest number of alternative-fuel stations per 100,000 residents, which is 8.1 times higher than in Louisiana, the state with the lowest.
