1. Ranked first as best state in which to raise children in 1996 (Children's Rights Council).
2. Ranked first as the top state in which to raise children in 1995 (Children's Rights Coalition 7/28).
3. ND first in adopting foster kids 8-8-97 (National Center for Policy Analysis).
4. Ranked third in the living conditions of its children (Kids Count Survey, Annie E. Case Foundation - Tribune 5/3/97.
5. Fargo, ND rated on of 10 best cities for working mothers according to Redbook magazine (Tribune 5/13/96).
6. Ranked third in lowest percent of children living in single-parent homes - 19% (Kids Count Survey, Annie E Case Foundation - Tribune 6/3/96).
7. Ranked in top five for lowest rate of teen pregnancy, high school drop out rate and number of babies born with low birth weight (Kids Count Survey, Annie E Case Foundation - Tribune 6/3/96).
8. Ranked second in lowest number of births of teenage mothers in 1993 - 822 (State Rankings 1996 according to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics).
9. Ranked first in Air Quality.
10. ND was first state to comply with the clear air act.
11. ND was first state to meet the requirement of the clean water act.
12. Ranked third in lowest daily fresh water withdrawals from public supplies in 1990 - 76,000,000 (State Rankings 1996 according to US Department of Interior, US Geological Survey).
13. Ranked third in the lowest amount of pollution released by manufacturing plants in 1991.
14. Ranked third in lowest pollution released by manufacturing plants in 1993 - 1,539,427 lbs of toxins (State Rankings 1996 according to US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics).
15. Ranked second in lowest number of hazardous waste sites on the national priority 1995 - 2 (State Rankings 1996 according to US Environmental Protection Agency, Hazardous Site Evaluation Division).
16. North Dakota ranked fifth by Iowa State University political science professor Tom Rice for "civic culture." Civic culture has four characteristics: participation in public affairs, a strong belief in equality, a willingness to trust one another, and a willingness to join community groups (Bismarck Tribune 9-16-97).
CRIME RELATED ISSUES
1. North Dakota ranked first as safest state in the union by Morgan Quinto Press 7/18/97.
2. Ranked first in lowest crime rate for murders (Morgan Quinto Press 7/18/97).
3. Ranked first in lowest crime rate for robberies (Morgan Quinto Press 7/18/97).
4. Ranked first in lowest crime rate for assaults (Morgan Quinto Press 7/18/97).
5. Ranked first in lowest crime rate for burglaries (Morgan Quinto Press 7/18/97).
6. Ranked first in lowest crime rate for robberies (Morgan Quinto Press 7/18/97).
7. North Dakota ranks first in the Top 10 Crime Fighting states according to the National Criminal Justice Commission (National Criminal Justice Report reported in GF Herald 3/7/96).
8. Ranked first in lowest violent crime rate - 81.8/100,000 population (1996 State Profiles AARP, also State Rankings 1996 according to FBI).
9. Ranked first in lowest number of violent crimes - 522 (State Rankings 1996 according to FBI).
10. Ranked second in lowest number of adults on state parole in 1994 - 93 (State Rankings 1996 according to US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics).
11. Ranked second in lowest overall crime rate in 1994. (State Rankings 1996 according to FBI).
12. Ranked first in lowest number of crimes in 1994 - .45% of USA (State Rankings 1996 according to FBI).
13. Ranked first in lowest number of murder in 1994 - 1 (State Rankings 1996 according to FBI).
14. Ranked first in lowest murder rate in 1994 - 2/100,000 population (State Rankings 1996 according to FBI).
15. Ranked first in lowest number of rapes in 1994 - 149 (State Rankings 1996 according to FBI).
16. Ranked second in lowest rape rate in 1994 - 23.4/100,000 population.
(State Rankings 1996 according to FBI).
17. Ranked second in lowest number of robberies in 1994 - 71 (State Rankings 1996 according to FBI).
18. Ranked first in lowest robbery rate in 1994 - 11.1/100,000 population.
(State Rankings 1996 according to FBI).
19. Ranked first in lowest number of aggravated assaults in 1994 - 301 (State Rankings 1996 according to FBI).
20. Ranked first in lowest aggravated assault rate in 1994 - 47.2/100,000 population (State Rankings 1996 according to FBI).
21. Ranked first in lowest number of property crimes in 1994 - 16,933 (State Rankings 1996 according to FBI).
22. Ranked first in lowest number of burglaries in 1994 - 2070 (State Rankings 1996 according to FBI).
23. Ranked first in lowest burglary rate in 1994 - 324.5/100,000 population (State Rankings 1996 according to FBI).
24. Ranked first in lowest number of larceny and thefts in 1994 - 13,899 (State Rankings 1996 according to FBI).
25. Ranked third in lowest number of vehicle thefts in 1994 - 964 (State Rankings 1996 according to FBI).
26. Ranked third in lowest vehicle theft rate in 1994 - 151.1/100,000 population (State Rankings 1996 according to FBI).
27. Ranked first in lowest number of adults on state probation in 1994 - 2006 (State Rankings 1996 according to US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics).
28. Ranked first in lowest number of prisoners in state correctional institutions in 1995 - 610 (State Rankings 1996 According to US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics).
29. Ranked first in lowest state prisoner incarceration rate in 1995 90/100,000 population (State Rankings 1996 according to US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics).
30. Ranked first in lowest number of full time state and local correction employment in 1991.
31. Ranked second in lowest rate of full-time state and local corrections employment per 10,000 people in 1991.
32. Ranked first in lowest state and local government expenditures for police protection in 1992 - 42,394,000 (State Rankings 1996 according to US Bureau of Census).
33. Ranked first in lowest state and local government expenditures for corrections in 1992 - 26,903,000 (State Rankings 1996 according to US Bureau of Census).
34. Ranked first in lowest number of state and local government employees in correction in 1992 - 674 (State Rankings 1996 according to US Bureau of Census).
35. Ranked third in lowest state and local government employees in corrections as a percent of all state and local government employees in 1992 1.80% (State Rankings 1996 according to data from US Bureau of the Census).
36. Ranked third in lowest property crime rate in 1994 - 2654/100,000 population (State Rankings 1996 according to FBI).
37. Ranked first in lowest imprisonment rate in state correctional institutions in 1995 - 85/100,000 population (According to Justice Department - article in Forum 8/19/96).
EDUCATIONAL RELATED TOPICS
1. Ranked first in the highest number of National Merit Scholars per capita.
2. Ranked first in average daily attendance as percent of average daily membership in 1993/94.
3. Ranked first in lowest high school drop out rate in 1990 - 4.3% (State Rankings 1996 according to US Department of Education, National Center of Education Statistics).
4. Ranked best for the # of PC's per student by survey of nation's schools in Popular Science Magazine (Sept. 96) (USA Today).
5. Ranked in top five in two separate studies comparing the ratio of students to school computers (Quality Education Data of Denver released figures in Jan of 1997 and a GAO survey released in summer of 1996).
6. Ranked first in 4th grade reading comprehension test scores.
7. Ranked first in math prof/grade 8 in 1990, 1992 (Report Card on American Education 1994 and 1995, 1996, 1997).
8. Ranked third in percentage of students at or above proficiency in math prof/grade 8 (Report Card on American Education 1994).
9. Ranked third in reading level/grade 4 (Report Card on American Education 1994).
10. Ranked second in lowest average cost of national school lunch program per participant in 1995 - $136.16 (State Rankings 1996 according to the US Department of Agriculture, Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services).
11. Ranked second for fourth grade NAEP reading test (Report Card on American Education 1995).
HIGHER EDUCATION
1. Ranked first in the highest combined scores in the nation on the Scholastic Assessment test for college bound seniors in 1995 (AP 8/24).
2. Ranked first in high school graduates attending public institutions.
3. Ranked first in percentage of high school graduates going to college.
4. Ranked first in percentage of high school graduates who take the ACT test.
5. Ranked first in number of higher education students per 1000 people.
6. Ranked first in lowest default rate among college students (US Department of Education, 1994).
7. Ranked first in expenditures for higher education as a percent of all state and local governments in 1991.
8. Ranked first in per capita state and local government expenditures for higher education in 1992 - $583 (State Rankings 1996 according to US Bureau of the Census).
9. Ranked first in expenditures for higher education as a percent of all state and local government expenditures in 1992 - 13.72% (State Rankings 1996 according to US Bureau of the Census).
10. Ranked fourth in SAT scores in 1994.
11. ND granted the first guaranteed student loan in the nation.
HEALTH CARE RELATED TOPICS
1. Ranked first in healthiest children in the nation (1994 Center for Study of Social Policy).
2. Ranked third in lowest number of infant deaths in 1994 - 54 (State Rankings 1996 according to the US Department of Health and Human Services National Center for Health Statistics).
3. Ranked first in lowest percent of population not covered by health insurance in 1994 - 8.4% (State Rankings 1996 according to the US Bureau of the Census).
4. Ranked first in lowest number of AIDS cases reported in 1995 - 7 (State Rankings 1996 according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
5. Ranked first in lowest AIDS rate in 1995 - 1.1 (State Rankings 1996 according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
6. Ranked first in percent of individuals with other private coverage - other than Medicare (1996 State Profile AARP).
7. ND was the first state to have mental health clinics for all her people.
8. Ranked first in the lowest stress city (Fargo).
9. Ranked first in the lowest death rate by atherosclerosis in 1990, per 100,000 people.
10. Ranked second in lowest death rate by cerebrovascular diseases in 1992 - 75.9/100,000 population (State Rankings 1996 according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics).
11. Ranked second in lowest number of deaths by injury in 1992 - 314 (State Rankings 1996 according to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics).
12. Ranked first in lowest number of deaths by suicide in 1992 - 65 (State Rankings 1996 according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics).
13. Ranked second in lowest deaths by AIDS in 1992 - 7 (State Rankings 1996 according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics).
14. Ranked second in community hospitals per 100,000 population in 1993 - 7.06 (State Rankings 1996 according to data from American Hospital Association).
15. Ranked first in lowest number of births of low birth weight in 1993 - 461 (State Rankings 1996 according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics).
16. Ranked third in number of nurses per 100,000 (1996 State Profiles AARP).
17. Ranked second in number of physician assistants per 100,000 (1996 State Profiles AARP).
18. Ranked second in hospital beds per 100,000 (1996 State Profiles AARP)
19. Ranked first in nursing home occupancy rate (1996 State Profiles AARP).
20. Ranked first in lowest rate of infectious disease.
21. Ranked second in lowest rate of AIDS cases per 100,000 pop (1996 State Profiles AARP).
GOVERNMENT ASSISTED HEALTH ISSUES
1. Ranked third in lowest average monthly costs for WIC in 1996 - $746,701 (State Rankings 1996 according to the US Department of Agriculture, Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services).
2. Ranked second in lowest number of Medicaid recipients in 1994 - 62,769 (State Rankings 1996 according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Care Financing Administration).
3. Ranked second in lowest number of monthly recipients of AFDC in 1994 - 16,458 (State Rankings 1996 according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families).
4. Ranked third in lowest number of AFCD assistance payments in 1994 - $29,373,000 (State Rankings 1996 according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families).
5. Ranked second in lowest food stamp issuance in 1994 - 34,000,000 (State Rankings 1996 according to the US Department of Agriculture, Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services).
6. Ranked second in lowest food stamp recipients in 1994 - 45,000 (State Rankings 1996 according to the US Department of Agriculture, Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services).
7. Ranked third in lowest number of households receiving food stamps in 1994 - 18,000 (State Rankings 1996 according to the US Department of Agriculture, Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services).
AGRICULTURE/ WILDLIFE RELATED TOPICS
1. Ranked first in wildlife refuges - 63 (Minot 1995).
2. Ranked first in acres of shelter belts.
3. Ranked first in production of Walleye fingerlings.
4. Ranked first in production of ducks.
5. Ranked first in per capita spending on research for agriculture.
6. Ranked first in production of spring wheat.
7. Ranked first among states in CRP. (3.4 million acres as of 10/1/97)
8. Ranked first in production of wheat in 1995 (US Ag Dept).
9. Ranked first in production of barley.
10. Ranked first in production of flax.
11. Ranked first in production of sunflowers.
12. Ranked first in production of dry edible beans.
13. Ranked first in production of honey.
14. Ranked first in production of wheat in nation (Grand Forks Herald 3/8/98)
15. First meat packing plant in nation devoted solely to buffalo (Grand Forks Herald 3/8/98)
LABOR RELATED ISSUES
1. Ranked first in lowest unemployed civilian labor force in 1995 - 9,700 (State Rankings 1996 according to US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics).
2. Ranked first in lowest number of man-hours lost to work stoppages
3. Ranked first in the percent change in workers' compensation payments: 1991 to 1992.
4. Ranked second in lowest local government revenue in 1992 - $1,114,190,000 (State Rankings 1996 according to the US Bureau of the Census).
5. Ranked third in lowest state and local government expenditure in 1992 - $2,758,413,000 (State Rankings 1996, according to the US Bureau of the Census).
6. Ranked second in lowest state government debt outstanding in 1993 - $829,832,000 (State Rankings 1996 according to the US Bureau of the Census, Governments Division).
7. Ranked first in lowest workers* compensation benefit payments in 1993 - $60,274,000 (State Rankings 1996 according to US Department of Health and Human Services).
8. Ranked second in lowest workers* compensation premium rates in 1994.
9. Ranked third in lowest state alcoholic beverage sales tax revenue in 1994 - $5,197,000 (State Rankings 1996 according to the US Bureau of the Census).
MANUFACTURING/BUSINESS RELATED TOPICS
1. Ranked second in percent of land in rural areas in 1990.
2. Ranked first in growth in manufacturing investment in 1992.
3. Ranked second in investments per capita.
4. Ranked third in growth of manufacturing hourly earnings.
5. North Dakota has the first and only coal gasification plant in the US.
6. Ranked third in energy prices in 1993 - $6.37/Btu's (State Rankings 1996 according to US Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration).
7. Ranked second in expenditures on electricity in 1993 - $431,000,000 (State Rankings 1996 according to US Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration).
8. Ranked first in projected average annual growth in per capita personal income 1993-2005 - 1.5% (State Rankings 1996 according to US Department of Commerce).
9. North Dakota ranks third in income growth in 1994 (Commerce Dept.).
10. Ranked third in growth per capita personal income: 1993 to 1994 - 8.16% (State Rankings 1996 according to US Department of Commerce).
11. Ranked first in lowest business failure rate in 1994 - 35/10,000 businesses (State Rankings 1996 according to Economic Analysis Department).
12. North Dakota one of only 6 states that allow a corporation to deduct the entire amount of its federal income tax liability from its income.
13. Melroe has the largest market share for skid-steer loaders in the US.
14. American Woods is the largest cedar lawn furniture manufacturing company in the world.
15. Ranked second in lowest number of business failures in 1995 - 98 (State Rankings 1996 according to Economic analysis Department).
16. Ranked first in manufacturing environment (Grant Thornton).
17. Ranked first with the top performing single-state municipal bond fund (NDTFX) (Lipper Analytical Service 1997) - Tribune 2/4/97.
18. Ranked third with the ND Tax Free Fund as a tax exempt bond fund. (Lipper Analytical Service 1997) - Tribune 2/4/97.
MISCELLANEOUS
1. Ranked ranked third as the least litigious state in 1995 (Forbes).
2. North Dakotans pay the nation*s lowest auto insurance premiums in 1995 (National Association of Independent Insurers).
3. Ranked second in lowest number of housing units without a telephone in 1990.
4. Ranked first in number of millionaires per capita.
5. ND was the first state to have public television for all her citizens.
6. Ranked second in the amount of money per capita spent on music products each year according to Music Trades (Forum 5/19/96).
7. Ranked 2nd in lowest acres of land in urban areas in 1990.
8. The 119th Fighter Group, North Dakota Air National Guard, Fargo, captured top overall team honors in the prestigious "William Tell" Air Force Worldwide Air-to-Air Weapons meet held at Tyndall Air Force Base.
9. The 119th Fighter Group received their third consecutive Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for exceptionally meritorious service from May 1, 1993 to July 31, 1994.
10. State Area Command, North Dakota Army National Guard was the National Team Champion in the Combat Pistol Category.
11. State Area Command, North Dakota Army National Guard, was the National Team Champion in the Smallbofe pistol category.
12. North Dakota is third in percent of eligible voters showing up to cast their ballot -61.1%. (US Census Bureau report from November 1994).
13. Ranked first in percent of eligible voters reported registered in 1994 - 93.3% (State Rankings 1996 according to the US Bureau of the Census).
TOURISM
1. Ranked first as the least expensive travel destination according to the American Auto Association Survey (Herald 5/19/96).
2. Fort Abraham Lincoln ranked the best site visited by the second Smithsonian Study Tour on their tour of western states.
TRANSPORTATION/ INTERSTATE
1. ND was the first state to complete its interstate highway system.
2. Ranked first in lowest automobile rates in the nation for the third straight year (Forum 1/25/96).
3. Ranked second in lowest number of highway fatalities in 1992.