Wyoming Named Best Western State Cause Utah and Idaho Don't Count

There's a new ranking that includes nearly a bazillion different metrics to determine which western state is the best and worst. It concluded that Wyoming is the best because Utah and Idaho don't count. I'll try to explain.

Before I dig into this, check out the full video from Nick Johnson who has been responsible for some of the funniest stuff on HomeSnacks over the years. He shows which of the 11 states he considers "western" to outrank the others.

Here are the factors that play into Nick's methodology:

Crime - Wyoming ranked #2 best

Cost of Living - Wyoming ranked #1 best

Stereotypes - Wyoming dinged for super-volcano which probably won't erupt for 100,000 years

Crowds - How is Wyoming not #1 on this one? Actually, we ARE #1

How friendly the people are - Wyoming, Colorado and Idaho ranked the friendliest, but Idaho doesn't count

Entertainment - California has the most national parks, but Wyoming follows closely behind. Idaho has zero national parks

Jobs - Wyoming is 3rd among western states for unemployment

At this point, Wyoming is ranked as the best western state, but it's tied with Utah so Nick decides he needs to break the tie. So, he turns to weather where we get slightly dinged by our harsh winters. He also measures what states people are moving to and from. He considers the fact that more people are moving to Idaho as a good thing. Big mistake. We love the fact that we don't have as many people in Wyoming.

Here's my point with this. Wyoming ranks as the best western state when all of the metrics that count are considered. We only fall a little with the tiebreaker which I have chosen to throw out.

So, with my amendment to Nick's ranking, Wyoming is the best western state and that's science.