How does your state fare in terms of air quality or population growth? Is it keeping up with national education standards? State Rankings 2011 is CQ Press’s popular rankings reference book that makes it easy to compare states in education, health, crime, transportation, taxes, government finance, and so much more. State Rankings has become a favorite resource on reference shelves throughout the United States and around the world.

The editors have compiled useful statistics that would otherwise take an enormous amount of time to research. In more than 550 user-friendly tables, State Rankings 2011 compares every state and Washington, DC, in the following areas:

•    Agriculture
•    Population
•    Economy
•    Environment
•    Government finance
•    Crime
•    Education
•    Geography
•    Social welfare
•    Defense
•    Health
•    Energy
•    Housing

The formula and methodology are discussed in a narrative chapter allowing researchers to cite statistics with context.

Dr. Rachel Boba is an assistant professor at Florida Atlantic University in the Criminology and Criminal Justice program. At FAU, she teaches methods of research, criminal justice systems, crime prevention, problem solving, and analysis in policing as well as conducts research in the areas of problem solving, problem analysis, crime analysis, regional data sharing, and technology in policing. From 2000 to 2003, Dr. Boba was Director of the Police Foundation's Crime Mapping Laboratory where she directed federally funded grants in the areas of crime analysis and crime mapping, problem analysis, and school safety. Prior to her position at the Police Foundation, she worked as a crime analyst at the Tempe, Arizona, Police Department for five years where she conducted a wide variety of crime analysis and crime mapping work as well as applied research and evaluation. She holds a PhD and an MA in sociology from Arizona State University and a BA in English and sociology from California Lutheran University.

Kathleen O’Leary Morgan holds a master’s degree in public administration and has served in a number of media and legislative liaison positions with the U.S. Department of Transportation, where she also served as deputy director of congressional affairs.

Scott Morgan is an attorney who served as chief counsel to Sen. Robert Dole’s 1988 presidential campaign.

Crime State Rankings 2011: Crime Across America

Health Care State Rankings 2011: Health Care Across America