Green Mountain State tops Hawaii, California for greenest state - See how your state ranks

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Close-up of a blue recycling bin with a recycling logo in an interior setting, Oahu, Hawaii, July 23, 2024. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

Green is right there in the name, even if the meaning is different. Vermont, a state whose name is a blending of the French words for the color green and mountain, claimed the top spot in a recent analysis of the greenest states in terms of eco-friendliness.

Big picture view:

The 2026 survey, compiled by WalletHub, used 28 metrics to rank all 50 states based on how well they care for the environment. 

While the Green Mountain State claimed the top slot, runner-up Hawaii claimed or shared the crowns in the water, air, and soil quality categories. California took the bronze, earning praise for its low energy consumption, including the fact that a third of the Golden State population uses green transportation.

At the other end of the list were Alabama, Louisiana, and West Virginia, which finished at the bottom.

Green State Ranking

(Rankings in specific categories shown below)

What they're saying:

WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo discussed the importance of Americans supporting greener living and protect the environment. He added that some states make it easier to protect the environment than others.

"For example, if a state doesn’t have a great infrastructure for alternative-fuel vehicles, it becomes much harder for residents to adopt that technology," he said. "Living in a green state is also very beneficial for the health of you and your family, as you benefit from better air, soil and water quality."

Dig deeper:

With the most acreage per capita, organic farming – because it shuns using pesticides, petroleum-based fertilizers, herbicides, and other products – helped push Vermont into the top of the ratings, the WalletHub analysis explained. 

The New England state finished strongly in categories that focused on greenhouse gases, as well, with the lowest amount of carbon dioxide emissions and the third lowest in methane emissions. 

Hawaii’s second-place ranking stemmed, in part, from having the second-lowest gasoline consumption, a fact helped by its robust public transportation systems, WalletHub noted. The Aloha State also had the highest recycling rate of any state.

By the numbers:

Weather and climate disasters cost the U.S. over $182 billion, according to numbers provided by WalletHub, which noted that 27 of those events accounted for $1 billion in damage each. The report acknowledged that not all disasters can be avoided, but stated that human activity can exacerbate them. 

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