Massachusetts Named Best State by U.S. News & World Report

02:25PM / Tuesday, February 28, 2017Print Story | Email Story

BOSTON — The commonwealth of Massachusetts has been named the best overall state in U.S. News & World Report's inaugural report.

This best state ranking evaluates all 50 states in various categories, with Massachusetts ranked the No. 1 overall state, No. 1 in health care, No. 2 in education and among the top 10 for economy and crime and corrections.

Massachusetts was recognized for having the most accessible health care and is ranked third for pre-K through 12th-grade education.

"Massachusetts is a great place to live, work and raise a family because of the strength and character of all those who call the Commonwealth home," said Gov. Charlie Baker. "Everyone should be proud that Massachusetts continues to lead the nation in health care access and public education for all citizens, and our administration will continue to build on these accomplishments to bring more economic success to every corner of Massachusetts."

Baker joined U.S. News & World Report editor and chief content officer Brian Kelly on "CBS This Morning" to discuss Massachusetts' top ranking.

Massachusetts ranked well above the national average as No. 1 in enrollment for Medicare Advantage Plans, Higher Education Educational Attainment and College Readiness, and No. 2 in Patents Granted and Populations with Fast Download Speed.

"We are proud to be the first state to be named number one overall in the inaugural Best States ranking as we continue to be a leader in the nation across numerous sectors," said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. "This honor is a testament of policies and practices that are working and we are dedicated to continuing this progress in every community in the commonwealth."

The new Best States rankings and platform was designed to inform people across the country about what is working across the country and includes rankings that measure states overall and in seven different categories: education, health care, government, infrastructure, economy, opportunity and crime & corrections.

The Leading States Index and analytics for the system were produced by McKinsey & Co. to inform state government officials on where to focus their efforts and where to make improvements for their constituents

For more information on methodology and complete rankings, visit: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings

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Veteran Spotlight: Coast Guard Capt. Thurman 'Tom' Maine

By Wayne SoaresSpecial to iBerkshires
04:42PM / Sunday, September 13, 2026

MASHPEE, Mass. — If I were to describe the best attributes of this week's veteran, they would be an infectious personality, role model, leader, wonderful family man and a person that leads by example in the very best way.

The aforementioned, are the primary reasons why Thurman "Tom" Maine enjoyed a successful and distinguished military career in the Coast Guard from 1983 to 2014.

Born in North Stonington, Conn., Maine entered the Coast Guard at the age of 21 and was sent to boot camp in Cape May, N.J. His first assignment was at Coast Guard Station in Provincetown, R.I. From 1994 to 1997, he was a helicopter pilot for Coast Guard Air Station at Otis Air National Guard Base and was elevated to operations officer, chief pilot at the base from 2004 to 2007.

During his 31-year career, Maine flew some of the Coast Guard's most elite helicopters; the Sikorsky H-3 (the Coast Guard's last amphibious aircraft), the Sikorsky H-60 (the most widely flown military helicopter in the world) and the H-65 (a smaller, faster helicopter that deploys on ships).

Maine continued to rapidly climb the ranks and in 2009 was promoted as the Coast Guard's liason to the Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon, a position he held until 2011. Following that assignment, he was promoted to captain and rose to be the commanding officer at the Coast Guard's prestigious Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Ala.

During his tenure as commanding officer, he suffered a devastating blow when four Guardsman were killed during a night training exercise. He conveyed that his greatest achievement in his entire military career, was the leadership he provided

to his 600-member unit and the families of the fallen Guardsmen, by always being accessible, communicating constantly and holding vitally important family nights.

He said this tragedy, "gave him the ultimate opportunity to live out his faith." He also lobbied intensely for the student pilot who was killed to be awarded his designation posthumously, which he did.

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