(File photo: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)
We live in an age of rankings, with lists of “best,” “worst,” and “middle” in every aspect of life, industry, and geography.
Some of these scorecards are based on voting. Some attempt to decipher government and corporate statistics based on data. Others are simply opinions based on personal opinion or consensus.
Yes, these rankings can spark debate, whether for policy debate or just for fun. Before the chat gets too intense, note that creating these grades is much more art than statistical science.
I’m perplexed by the wave of state-versus-state rankings that stream into my inbox at work. Most of these scorecards are not created to facilitate social conversation. Rather, the company, which likely paid someone to create a “best/worst” story, is being promoted in hopes of attracting attention online.
It’s not that the results of these states aren’t interesting in and of themselves. So after scanning his inbox, he found 20 California rankings that might be of interest to someone.
20 scorecards
No.1 per capita spending on clothing and footwear, according to shopping statistics tracked by QR code generator.
No.2 U.S. Census Bureau numbers tracked by Sparefoot.com reveal the most expensive housing disparity – between the average wage for those with a bachelor’s degree and the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment.
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No.2 Young homeowners make up the lowest proportion of the population, according to a review of census data for Agent Advice.
No.3 CreditDonkey’s analysis of small business loans from 2020 to 2023 found that the average business borrowing amount was the highest.
No.3 A look at government health statistics from Diabetes Strong shows that the number of diabetes diagnoses will increase by the most in the three years to 2021.
No.3 According to QRFY research, most online searches per person are for ways to become self-employed.
No.3 According to CoinLedger, people are obsessed with cryptocurrencies, based on online search volume for crypto-related terms.
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No.3 Most desirable work-life balance, according to a ranking by Plus Docs, which tracks government employment statistics.
No.4 A study of business applications by Schmidt & Clark states that it is a great place to start a business.
No.5 According to GayFriendly’s ranking of 14 health factors, it has the best overall health.
No.5 Best place to study as a marketer at university, according to a review of 18 different metrics by Ahrefs.
No.5 Best information for women entrepreneurs based on 7 indicators by Lendio.
No.6 Data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reviewed for Parish Law shows the worst situation in terms of timely health care delivery.
No.8 According to Bedbible’s census analysis, the happiest families are measured by marriage and divorce rates.
No.8 If you look at the Centers for Disease Control statistics on MentalHealthRehabs.com, it states that we have the lowest percentage of the population reporting depression.
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No.8 According to a study by Freedom Bound Business, online courses have the highest number of searches per person.
No.9 According to Suzuki Law’s Crime Nation Rating, where you are most likely to be robbed.
No.14 The Zanes Act was scored as the most difficult to obtain a driver’s license.
No.13 Looking at the climate patterns for FDP mold remediation, we can say that the risk of mold growing in your home is the lowest.
No.16 Essayservice.com’s government graduation data shows that it has the highest percentage of the population over 25 with at least a bachelor’s degree.
conclusion
To be honest, I’d like to give you a word of caution. Who would send a pitch to a journalist that somehow emphasizes “California is her #25”? Mid rankings are boring. So my inbox is skewed toward cases where California is an outlier, for better or worse.
So if we were to draw any meaningful conclusion from this rather random collection of statistics, it would be that California is an expensive place, with both good and bad things.
Did you need 20 scorecards to tell you that?
Jonathan Ranzner is a business columnist for Southern California News Group. Please contact us at jlansner@scng.com.
