CHEYENNE- Wyoming is the fourth most livable state in the nation, according to a list put out annually by Morgan Quitno Press. The 2005 list moves Wyoming ahead two slots, up from sixth in 2004 and 14th in 2003.

Factors considered for the Morgan Quitno Press 2005 list of most livable states include:

     crime rate
     homeownership rate
     pupil-teacher ratio in public schools
     hazardous waste sites
     per capita personal income
     highway fatality rate
     percent of population with a bachelor’s degree or higher
     percent of households receiving food stamps
     average weekly earnings of production workers on manufacturing payrolls
     government expenditures for education
     normal daily mean temperature
     percentage of births of low-birth weight babies
     state and local taxes
     teenage birth rate
     public libraries and branches
     unemployment rate
     population per square mile
     poverty rate
     percent of female-headed households living in poverty
     per capita gross state product
     percent of population not covered by health insurance
     personal bankruptcy rate
     percent of days that are sunny
     electricity prices
     infant mortality rate
     public high school graduation rate
     job growth
     median household income
     age-adjusted death rate
     state and local government spending for welfare programs
     fatalities in alcohol-related crashes
     per capita state art agencies appropriations
     deficient bridges as a percent of total bridges
     domestic migration of population

According to its web site, Morgan Quitno Press is located in Lawrence, Kansas. Its specialty is reference books and monthly reports comparing states and cities in different subject areas. The site says Quitno Press is not a subsidiary of any other company and it is not subsidized by any outside interest group.

Tucker Fagan, chief executive officer for the Wyoming Business Council said Wyoming has placed high on nearly all business/industry and quality-of-life ranking lists over the last couple of years.

Fagan said Morgan Quitno’s ranking of Wyoming validates his own opinion of the state. “I retired from the Air Force after 30 years, and didn’t have to live in Cheyenne,” he said. But Fagan said he did choose Cheyenne because of its work ethic, volunteerism and vibrancy. “When they’re saying Wyoming does have a low crime rate, a good style of life, a good quality of life – amen,” he said. “Somebody who doesn’t live here has looked at this and said, ‘Here is a prime place to do business and raise a family.’”

For full listing of the “2005 Most Livable States” visit http://www.morganquinto.com/sr05mlrnk.htm

Source: Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, March 31, 2005