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N.H.'s #1 when it comes to taxpayer return on investment, national study finds

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New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu earlier this week said he was both proud and gratified that the Granite State has been found to be the best state in the country when it comes to taxpayer return on investment, according to a national study.

"I think it's incredibly defining," he said on Thursday in an exclusive interview with The Rochester Voice.

"It's not just about money, it's outcomes we're trying to achieve," Sununu added. "It's outcomes for families and businesses. Let the stories drive policy, not politics; when you have that model that gets a high outcome for the people, that's where we want to be."

The study was conducted by WalletHub, which looked at 25 metrics to compare the quality and efficiency of state-government services across five categories - Education, Health, Safety, Economy, and Infrastructure and Pollution - taking into account the drastically different rates at which citizens are taxed in each state.

Gov. Chris Sununu (Courtesy photo)

The major drivers of New Hampshire's top score were education (third), violent crime rate (third) and lowest percentage of residents in poverty (first) as well as total taxes per capita ages 18 and over (third), health (second) and economy (fourth).

Sununu said he wasn't surprised the state ranked high in public safety.

"Our enforcement is community based, not county or state," Sununu said. "Our focus is in the local community, and it works when police, businesses and individual citizens make that local connection. The value of that is tenfold; when connections are personal you avoid the bureaucratic malaise."

Education rankings in the public school system were derived from two major categories such as quality and safety, "which included 21 key metrics ranging from high school graduation rate, drop-out rate to bullying and cyberbullying rates," according to WalletHub study analyst Jill Gonzalez.

At the college and university level, schools were judged based on admission rate, cost and financing, as well as campus safety and overall experience.

The top spot for education with regard to taxpayer return on investment went to Massachusetts.

To come in just two spots below the Bay State was a great honor, said the governor, who added that a partnership between high schools and businesses like Safran and Albany Engineering in Rochester show the future of cooperative learning.

"Teaching just can't be four walls of a classroom," Sununu said, adding that robotics teaching and robotics teams help young people learn vital critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Regarding New Hampshire's lowest poverty percentage rate nationwide of 8.5 percent, Sununu cautioned that while it was a good place to be, those charged with taking care of our most vulnerable residents must "stay vigilant."

"We have to make sure services aren't just blanketing around the state but help those who have the most need by partnering with our food banks and nonprofits," Sununu said.

Maine, meanwhile ranked overall 25th in taxpayer return on investment, but took top ranking in having the lowest crime rate of all states. Interestingly, Vermont took second, meaning the three Northern New England states are the three safest states in the country, according to the study.

Politically, Red States get a better bang for their buck, with an average rank of 20.60 vs. Blue States at 32.85.

For a look at the complete study click here.

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