Minnesota ranks second in the United States as the most livable state. It’s second only to Utah, which has a booming state job creation ranking.

Minnesota’s future livability score is 10.5; full-time employment: eighth best; job creation index: 10th best; outlook on life in five years: third worst.

“The Gopher state ranks first in economic confidence and the ease of finding a safe place to exercise,” said a 24/7 Wall St. Wire report. “The Land of 10,000 Lakes also comes in second for the ease in finding clean, safe drinking water. With the seventh-lowest rate of smoking, the fifth-highest rate of regular visits to the dentist and the proportion of the population insured, Minnesotans are a healthy bunch compared to their fellow Americans.

“Despite all of this, the state is projected to have the fourth-worst change in home prices between the first quarter of 2012 and the first quarter of 2013, with an almost 5 percent drop compared to a national average projected decrease of 1 percent.”

With Utah at the top, other top 10 states include No. 3 Colorado; No. 4 Nebraska; North Dakota is fifth; Virginia is sixth, Iowa is seventh; Hawaii is eighth; South Dakota is ninth; and Maryland rounds out the top 10 most livable states.

It would appear that the Midwest has a lock on great places to live. Eh?

If Minnesota is No. 2 among the most livable, which state is the least livable?

West Virginia is the least livable state in the nation. It ranks second worst in terms of people employed full-time, second-lowest median household income of $38,218 and eighth-highest percentage of people below the poverty line at 17.62 percent. It is also the least healthy of all 50 states. It has the highest number of smokers, highest number of fat or obese people, and the highest blood pressure among residents of the state. Thinking of moving to West Virginia?

Maybe Minnesota’s a better, healthier choice.

Keith Hansen