Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders recently touted a run of No. 1 rankings for Arkansas, saying: "We are blessed by God to live in the best state, in the best country, in the history of the world." But it's only part of the picture.

The big picture: Broad claims about where Arkansas stands nationally depend heavily on which metrics are used. The state ranks well on some measures, but poorly on others, including health and wages.

State of play: An Axios analysis found several recent No. 1 rankings for Arkansas, but also several bottom-tier measures.

By the numbers: Arkansas landed No. 1 in teacher job satisfaction, according to a recent Education Week analysis. The Heritage Foundation had the state tied for No. 1 in election integrity, while TNTP, an education policy and consulting nonprofit, said it has the nation's highest minimum teacher salary adjusted for cost of living.

• Americans United for Life again ranked Arkansas as the country's top "pro-life" state, though that measure comes from an advocacy group rather than a government data series.
• U.S. News ranked Arkansas No. 1 in affordability, including No. 1 for cost of living and No. 3 for housing affordability, but No. 44 overall on its list of best states.

Yes, but: Some of Arkansas' weakest numbers come from federal health and economic data. USDA found Arkansas had the nation's highest household food-insecurity rate, 19.4%, based on 2022–2024 averages.

• America's Health Rankings placed Arkansas 49th overall in 2025, 50th in maternity practices in infant nutrition and care, and tied for 45th in adult obesity in 2024.
• CDC data shows Arkansas had the nation's second-highest infant mortality rate in 2023, at 8.22 deaths per 1,000 live births. Arkansas also ranked 49th for median annual wages, per Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Zoom out: Sanders has made some weak spots a policy focus. The $45 million Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act expands maternal care coverage, and Sanders also signed a law providing free breakfast to all public school students. In April, the administration launched the #RazorbackReady2026 challenge to promote the Presidential Fitness Test.

The bottom line: Health rankings often lag policy changes by years, so new investments may not show up in statewide data right away.

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"Investing in maternal health care is the most strategic investment we can make in the future of American prosperity."

Driving the news: Olivia Walton was with President Trump in the Oval Office on Monday, as he called for employers to provide fertility benefits and announced the launch of Moms.gov — a digital hub for new and expectant mothers.

• Through Bentonville-based Heartland Forward's Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America initiative, Walton hopes to cut the U.S. maternal mortality rate by half in five years.

🏫 NorthWest Arkansas Community College's newly approved budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 includes a 7% increase in expenses from this fiscal year. (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

🏗️ Kansas-based construction company Hutton recently opened its first Arkansas office in Springdale. (Northwest Arkansas Business Journal)

👩‍💼 Lawmakers will offer an alternative program for high school girls unable to attend Girls State, a civic engagement program, over missed application deadlines. Lawmakers threatened to revoke Girls State's access to House and Senate chambers over not budging on the deadline, which was earlier than in past years. (Arkansas Advocate)

Arkansas' gross general revenue collections hit $1.08 billion in April, up from $940 million a year earlier.

Why it matters: General revenue collected, largely through personal and corporate income taxes, helps fund state government.

The big picture: April's revenue was well above every other month in the current fiscal year, which is expected. Collections in April are historically higher than any other month of the year, as income tax filings are due on April 15.

By the numbers: Through the first 10 months of fiscal 2026, Arkansas collected about $7.13 billion in gross general revenue. That's $284.3 million — about 4% — higher than last year.

• So far for the year, revenue is more than $189 million above forecast.

As a Fayetteville resident, I was thrilled to get my new one-stop recycling bin yesterday.

• Most of what my family recycles will go right in and save me a lot of time and effort on Sunday evenings.

My review: Love the blue.

• Love the wheels even more.
• The handle seems fine.

Yes, but: I'm confused by the instructions "Please keep 3 ft. from all objects."

• Not to get too nitpicky, but "objects" seems a bit broad.