In Quest for Racial Equality, This State Is No. 1

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is set for Monday, and in advance, WalletHub has taken a peek at which states have made the most advances in the quest for racial equality. The site looked at the racial integration and racial progress made in all 50 states and DC, using nearly two dozen metrics in four main categories: employment and wealth (ie, median household income, poverty and unemployment rates, etc.); health, including infant mortality rates and the share of obese and diabetic adults; education (think high school dropout rates, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree); and social and civic engagement, which notes such factors as voter turnout rates and the share of single-parent households. Hawaii wins the honors as the state that's made the most racial progress, while the nation's capital needs to do a bit more work. Here are the 10 best and worst states in that regard:

Best states for racial progress

1. Hawaii (No. 1 in "Social & Civic Engagement" category)
2. Arizona
3. New Mexico
4. Washington (No. 1 in "Health" category)
5. Kentucky
6. Alaska (No. 1 in "Employment & Wealth" category)
7. Delaware
8. Texas
9. Georgia
10. Maryland

Worst states for racial progress

42. Pennsylvania
43. Nebraska
44. Michigan
45. Montana
46. Illinois
47. North Dakota
48. Iowa
49. Minnesota
50. Wisconsin (last in "Social & Civic Engagement" category)
51. District of Columbia (last in "Employment & Wealth," "Education," and "Wealth" categories)

Check out how other states fared here. (This is the safest state in America.)