These 10 states have the worst infrastructure in America in 2025

CNBC

18-07-2025

America's infrastructure, long the butt of jokes and the subject of political wrangling that seemed to go nowhere, has just received its best grade ever in the American Society of Civil Engineers' annual Infrastructure Report Card.
Unfortunately, that grade is still just a C.
That mediocre grade comes despite trillions of dollars thrown at America's roads, bridges, ports and airports in the past few years, plus wide-ranging efforts in many states to establish a roster of "shovel ready" sites to attract business. Decades of neglect does not simply vanish overnight. And in some states, listed below, they have barely made a dent in their infrastructure problems.
Infrastructure is one of the most important aspects of a state's competitiveness, according to CNBC's 2025 America's Top States for Business study. It is the second most cited selling point in state economic development marketing pitches, after the purported strength of the state's economy.
To measure how the states are delivering on their infrastructure pitches, the CNBC study considers the condition of roads, bridges and water systems, and the reliability of the power grid. We also evaluate ports, airports, and rail lines. We measure broadband connectivity and computing power, the availability of shovel ready sites for development, sustainability, and — because so many states tout their central location — the population within 500 miles.
Under this year's methodology, the Infrastructure category is worth 16.2% of a state's overall competitiveness score.
In these ten states, infrastructure remains among the nation's weakest.
The Yellowhammer State's susceptibility to severe weather — like a spring tornado outbreak in 2023, the most recent full year of grid reliability data available — is not helping the Arkansas grid's already spotty record. The average Arkansas customer was without power for more than 15 hours, the third worst record in the nation.
2025 Infrastructure score: 170 out of 405 points (Top States Grade: D)
U.S. Population within 500 miles: 81,107,152
Roads in unacceptable condition: 11.3%
Bridges in poor condition: 5.4%
Power outages per year: 15.2 hours
Affordable broadband access: 66.7%
Data Centers: 4
Part of the Cowboy State's allure is its frontier character. But that is not much help to businesses looking for both physical and virtual connectivity. Wyoming's roads may be the best in the nation, but it is the fifth most remote state in the union in terms of population within a day's drive. Broadband access is the third worst in the nation, according to BroadbandNow Research, which found more than a third of Wyoming residents do not have access to an affordable plan.
2025 Infrastructure score: 166 out of 405 points (Top States Grade: D)
U.S. Population within 500 miles: 14,187,922
Roads in unacceptable condition: 3.9%
Bridges in poor condition: 6.5%
Power outages per year: 1.99 hours
Affordable broadband access: 61%
Data Centers: 11
According to the non-profit First Street Foundation, the Mountain State has the second highest flood risk of any state, after Louisiana. Already this year, West Virginians have endured multiple flash floods. Perhaps more critically, according to property data firm Cotality, West Virginia has done little to protect itself from that risk. The state ranks 47th for resilience, according to data Cotality compiled for CNBC.
2025 Infrastructure score: 164 out of 405 points (Top States Grade: D)
U.S. Population within 500 miles: 139,907,862
Roads in unacceptable condition: 13.3%
Bridges in poor condition: 18.6%
Power outages per year: 12.52 hours
Affordable broadband access: 62.6%
Data Centers: 6
Like its Gulf Coast neighbors, the Magnolia State faces elevated risks from severe weather including hurricanes and storms, and it too earned poor marks when measured by Cotality's Property and Mortgage Resilience Tool. The Georgetown Climate Center notes that while some local governments in the state have developed strategies to withstand weather risks, Mississippi has failed to adopt a statewide plan.
2025 Infrastructure score: 155 out of 405 points (Top States Grade: D–)
U.S. Population within 500 miles: 77,291,910
Roads in unacceptable condition: 14.5%
Bridges in poor condition: 6%
Power outages per year: 13.4 hours
Affordable broadband access: 72.3%
Data Centers: 6
It may be Big Sky Country, but Montana doesn't have much space on the ground to develop. A search of listings in early July turned up just 22 vacant commercial or industrial sites of 15 acres or larger, in a state of 147,000 square miles. Montana is also the second worst state overall for broadband access. BroadbandNow found that speeds were slow, and fewer than half of Montanans have access to an affordable plan.
2025 Infrastructure score: 153 out of 405 points (Top States Grade: D–)
U.S. Population within 500 miles: 9,052,768
Roads in unacceptable condition: 6.1%
Bridges in poor condition: 6.8%
Power outages per year: 1.98 hours
Affordable broadband access: 49.7%
Data Centers: 3
In 2024, the Pelican State landed a coveted economic development project that demands strong infrastructure — Meta's massive artificial intelligence data center, under construction on a 2,250 acre site in rural Richland Parish.
But that doesn't mean Louisiana has cured its longstanding infrastructure woes. Its location in hurricane alley leaves the state susceptible to storm damage. The state's power grid ranks No. 40 for reliability. A watchdog group has warned that the Meta project could exacerbate the problem, though the utility serving the center disputes that. Entergy Louisiana is seeking approval to build three power plants in Northern Louisiana. While their primary purpose is serving the Meta facility, the utility claims the whole state will benefit.
2025 Infrastructure score: 152 out of 405 points (Top States Grade: D–)
U.S. Population within 500 miles: 63,132,744
Roads in unacceptable condition: 26.4%
Bridges in poor condition: 11.5%
Power outages per year: 9.74 hours
Affordable broadband access: 76.6%
Data Centers: 13
The old New England trope, "you can't get there from here," is a real thing when it comes to air travel from the Granite State. New Hampshire does have two commercial airports, in Manchester and Portsmouth. But service is limited, with direct flights only to destinations along the East Coast and in Florida. New Hampshire's power grid ranks 41st for reliability.
2025 Infrastructure score: 138 out of 405 points (Top States Grade: F)
U.S. Population within 500 miles: 64,972,846
Roads in unacceptable condition: 6.1%
Bridges in poor condition: 7.5%
Power outages per year: 10.76 hours
Affordable broadband access: 91.5%
Data Centers: 10
The Aloha State's infrastructure has some unavoidable disadvantages when measured by the same standards as those of the 48 contiguous states. Hawaii has no freight rail service, and the only population within 500 miles of the Big Island is the population of the rest of the state. But there is no similar excuse for some of its other shortcomings, like some of the worst roads in the nation and a less than reliable power grid.
2025 Infrastructure score: 126 out of 405 points (Top States Grade: F)
U.S. Population within 500 miles: 1,282,377
Roads in unacceptable condition: 36.2%
Bridges in poor condition: 6.5%
Power outages per year: 8.2 hours
Affordable broadband access: 93.2%
Data Centers: 9
The Last Frontier has many of the same inherent issues as Hawaii. But one issue Alaska owns is its poor connectivity. BroadbandNow defines an affordable internet plan as one costing $60 per month or less. For all intents and purposes, that does not exist in Alaska, where fewer than 2% of people can access the kind of connectivity most of us take for granted. America's largest state by area, at more than 663,000 square miles, has just six vacant commercial sites of 15 acres or larger.
2025 Infrastructure score: 120 out of 405 points (Top States Grade: F)
U.S. Population within 500 miles: 615,878
Roads in unacceptable condition: 22.1%
Bridges in poor condition: 3%
Power outages per year: 6.25 hours
Affordable broadband access: 1.7%
Data Centers: 2
The Pine Tree State has America's least reliable power grid, a longstanding problem exacerbated by Maine's harsh climate. For years, officials have floated plans to fix the power system. In 2023, voters resoundingly defeated a plan to replace the state's power companies with a public system to be known as Pine Tree Power. This year, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed legislation to create a cabinet-level Department of Energy Resources to tackle the issue once and for all.
"This new department will allow the State to build a long-term approach for Maine's energy needs, respond quickly to emerging challenges, and strengthen regional and national energy partnerships to benefit our people and economy," Mills said in a statement on July 2.
But for now, Maine has America's worst all-around infrastructure.
2025 Infrastructure score: 119 out of 405 points (Top States Grade: F)
U.S. Population within 500 miles: 46,971,188
Roads in unacceptable condition: 8%
Bridges in poor condition: 15.4%
Power outages per year: 31 hours
Affordable broadband access: 82.8%
Data Centers: 7