Correlation Coefficient
Strong positive association
Average Rank: HIGH vs LOW
Average across 9 retained measures
Incarceration Rate Ratio
HIGH states imprison 3.07x more people
Oklahoma: Average rank 44
Oklahoma’s average ranking position is 44 across the 9 retained quality-of-life measures.
Compared to New Hampshire
Oklahoma incarcerates 3.25× more people per capita than New Hampshire, and its average position across the retained measures is 38.4 places worse.
Key Differences by Dimension
Average ranking position: HIGH-incarceration group vs LOW-incarceration group. Lower rank = better outcome.
Healthcare (gap: 33.7 positions)
Education Spending (gap: 31.9 positions)
Life Expectancy (gap: 31.9 positions)
Economic Opportunity (gap: 30.5 positions)
Kids Count (gap: 30 positions)
Poverty (gap: 28.8 positions)
Income (gap: 26.4 positions)
Best States Overall (gap: 20.9 positions)
Infrastructure (gap: 3.2 positions)
Full 20-State Comparison
Click any column header to sort. Rankings: 1 = best, 50/51 = worst. Color coding: green (top 10), amber (31-40), red (41+).
| StateState | GroupGroup | Incarceration RateInc. Rate | Ed. SpendingEd$ | HealthcareHC | Life Expect.Life | PovertyPov | IncomeInc | Econ. OpportunityEcon | Child WellbeingKids | InfrastructureInfra | Best StatesBest | Avg. RankAvg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | HIGH | 1067 | 30 | 41 | 48 | 50 | 48 | 50 | 48 | 48 | 50 | 45.9 |
| Mississippi | HIGH | 1020 | 43 | 51 | 50 | 49 | 50 | 48 | 49 | 47 | 48 | 48.3 |
| Arkansas | HIGH | 912 | 40 | 48 | 44 | 47 | 47 | 41 | 45 | 41 | 44 | 44.1 |
| Oklahoma | HIGH | 905 | 47 | 49 | 46 | 43 | 45 | 47 | 48 | 29 | 42 | 44 |
| Alabama | HIGH | 898 | 39 | 42 | 47 | 45 | 44 | 44 | 39 | 33 | 45 | 42 |
| Kentucky | HIGH | 889 | 34 | 37 | 49 | 48 | 46 | 39 | 38 | 24 | 39 | 39.3 |
| Georgia | HIGH | 887 | 35 | 45 | 36 | 37 | 23 | 40 | 37 | 13 | 21 | 31.9 |
| Tennessee | HIGH | 817 | 44 | 44 | 46 | 23 | 40 | 42 | 36 | 23 | 32 | 36.7 |
| South Dakota | HIGH | 812 | 42 | 32 | 25 | 7 | 29 | 16 | 21 | 2 | 8 | 20.2 |
| Texas | HIGH | 751 | 46 | 50 | 27 | 38 | 24 | 38 | 43 | 18 | 29 | 34.8 |
| Utah | LOW | 396 | 13 | 17 | 14 | 9 | 18 | 12 | 22 | 11 | 20 | 15.1 |
| Connecticut | LOW | 326 | 5 | 11 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 27 | 15 | 11.3 |
| Minnesota | LOW | 323 | 19 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 9.1 |
| New York | LOW | 317 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 34 | 15 | 14 | 29 | 34 | 22 | 17.7 |
| New Hampshire | LOW | 278 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 2 | 5.6 |
| Maine | LOW | 272 | 14 | 21 | 31 | 10 | 30 | 19 | 15 | 40 | 27 | 23 |
| New Jersey | LOW | 270 | 4 | 16 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 19 | 8.3 |
| Rhode Island | LOW | 254 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 45 | 24 | 16.3 |
| Vermont | LOW | 245 | 2 | 8 | 15 | 3 | 19 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 8.7 |
| Massachusetts | LOW | 241 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 39 | 9 | 8.4 |
Methodology
This analysis compares the 10 states with the highest per-capita incarceration rates against the 10 states with the lowest rates, using 2023-2024 data from authoritative public sources. Each state is ranked across 9 retained quality-of-life dimensions: education spending, healthcare, life expectancy, poverty, income, economic opportunity, child wellbeing, infrastructure, and overall best-states ranking.
Statistical Finding
Across this selected 20-state sample, Pearson’s r is 0.928; the squared correlation is 86.0% (p < 0.001). The standardized difference between the predefined HIGH and LOW groups is Cohen’s d = 3.75. These statistics describe association, not causation.
0.928
Pearson r
86.0%
Variance Explained
< 0.001
p-value
3.75
Cohen’s d
Data cross-verified across multiple research platforms and primary sources including Prison Policy Initiative, U.S. News & World Report, America’s Health Rankings, U.S. Census Bureau ACS, Annie E. Casey Foundation KIDS COUNT, and ASCE Infrastructure Report Card. Correlation is not causation — these findings demonstrate association, not a causal mechanism.