8 Troubling Facts About Arizona You Would Be Better Off Not Knowing

Arizona is a great state, but anyone who has lived here for awhile will tell you there are some areas that needs some improvement. In fact, I can’t say I entirely agree with the article title. If you care about our state, these are facts that are important to address so that we and our children can see a better future. Check out the following facts that shows which areas Arizona could use some help.

Josh Schipper/Flickr

In 2015, the website Car Insurance Comparison ranked states for factors such as speeding, careless driving, and failure to obey traffic laws. Overall, the state ranked the sixth worst, coming in at third for careless driving and seventh for failure to obey traffic laws. But you know what? At least we're doing better than our neighbors New Mexico and Texas. Both ranked much lower on that list.

Cybrarian77/Flickr

It's no surprise that Arizona needs to improve its education system; it's a topic that comes up every few months during the school year and when election season arrives. A report from Wallet Hub last year showed that Arizona was ranked third to last in the country in its Best and Worst States for Teachers report, coming in just slightly higher than North Carolina and West Virginia. Deciding factors in the ranking included salaries (49th), student-teacher ratio (again, 49th), and spending per student (dead last).

Note: Washington, D.C. was included in the rankings.

Advertisement

Henry R. McLin/Flickr

A 2014 report funded by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation showed that 28.9 percent of Arizona adults are obese, which is up from 14.9 percent in 2000. This means Arizona has the 29th highest rates of obesity. Data shows that rates shot up to 20.1 percent in 2003 and increased almost every since.

Advertisement

Jeremy Sternberg/Flickr

A report from the same programs also showed that Arizona's kids could use health improvements as well. Obesity rates for kids ages 10 to 17 was especially high with 19.8 percent, or almost 1 in 5 children, reporting obesity. This made our state the seventh highest in the nation for childhood obesity.

Related Stories

Discover 5 Of Arizona's Most Iconic Views On This Epic 7-Hour Road Trip

The Entire Family Will Love Visiting This Fantastic Farm In Arizona With A Petting Zoo, Animal Feedings, And Monster Truck Tours

The Whole Family Could Spend An Entire Day Having A Blast At The Yard In Arizona

Gage Skidmore/Flickr

A survey from earlier this year showed that Arizona has the second-lowest per capita funding for higher education funding, spending a mere $115.83 per resident this year. It is down $20.89 from the previous year.

Shilad Sen/Flickr

Education just isn't our strong suit. In 2013, the U.S. Department of Education said that just 29 percent of our college students graduated from a four-year university in six years or less. (The national average was 55 percent.) There is some speculation that the low rates may be influenced by students enrolled in online courses at for-profit schools based in the state but however you cut it, these rates are lower than they should be.

Kevin Dooley/Flickr

As for those students Arizona does graduate? A recent study from the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program showed that the Phoenix area was among the worst cities for retaining college graduates, keeping just 36.3 percent. Of those numbers, 18 percent were graduates from four-year universities. There's no word on how other Arizona cities performed in the study, however.

Vivian D Nguyen/Flickr

When was the last time you saw one of these? A 2014 Gallup poll showed that Arizonans don't go for their dental appointments like they should. Only 59.3 percent of Arizonans reported visiting a dentist in the previous year, making us the worst state at getting our teeth cleaned annually.

So what did you think about these facts? Do you know of other areas Arizona needs to improve? Be sure to let us know your thoughts on our Facebook fan page.