Pennsylvania’s latest national rankings are not just embarrassing — they’re a policy indictment. But for Republicans, they also offer something else: a clear political opportunity.

U.S. News & World Report ranks Pennsylvania 41st out of 50 states. Of the six states bordering the commonwealth, five ranked higher. Only West Virginia fared worse.

The drivers of this steep decline are particularly galling because they were once seen as state strengths: energy and economic output.

Pennsylvania sits atop one of the largest natural gas reserves in the world. Yet it ranks 31st in energy, weighed down by unreliable infrastructure and soaring utility costs. Since 2018, the average Pennsylvanian has endured a 30% increase in energy expenses. Today, the average household pays $669 a month on electricity, heat, and gas – among the highest in the country.

And despite the need to maintain its role as a net energy exporter, the state requires 20 new 1,000-megawatt generation plants just to meet projected demand. Yet not a single plant is under construction. Not even one is planned.

The economic picture doesn’t improve from there. Pennsylvania ranks 27th in GDP per capita, generating just over $75,000 per resident — a surprisingly weak showing for the nation’s fifth most populous state, positioned between two global economic hubs: New York and Washington, D.C.

Pennsylvania lags in both business environment and economic growth, ranking 37th and 39th, respectively. Five years after the pandemic, Pennsylvania manufacturing has yet to recover to its pre-Covid employment figures despite federal opportunities like the CHIPS Act or the Inflation Reduction Act.

On fiscal stability, Pennsylvania ranks 39th. It’s one of the five worst states in terms of managing long-term debt and pension obligations. Its credit rating is under strain. And when it comes to transportation, the state lands near the bottom — 47th out of 50 — hardly a surprise to those navigating its highways and public transit.

To be fair, there are a few bright spots. Pennsylvania ranks 10th in access to healthcare and 17th in crime and corrections, thanks in part to the hard work of law enforcement and community leaders. But even those rankings feel disconnected from the lived experience of residents in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, where access and safety remain daily concerns.

For Pennsylvania Republicans, these dismal rankings aren’t just a list of failures — they’re a governing agenda waiting to be claimed.

Every grim number reflects something deeper: voter frustration. And not just among Republicans. Swing and working-class voters across counties like Lackawanna, Dauphin, and Bucks are asking a simple question: What are you going to do to make my life better?

Here’s how Republicans can answer: ENERGY REFORM Start at the kitchen table. Voters don’t need a theoretical lecture on deregulation — they need lower utility bills. Republicans should make it their mission to slash energy costs by fast-tracking new electric generation, modernizing the power grid, and incentivizing new plant construction. Energy abundance should mean energy affordability and keeping the lights on.

SKILLS REALIGNMENT With the Trump Administration leveraging tariffs to reshore critical American industrial production, Pennsylvania must allocate resources to career and technical education.

Pennsylvania graduates 17,000 high schoolers a year with a career and technical education. They account for less than 14% of Pennsylvania’s 12th-graders.

We have room to grow with some 4.6 million manufacturing jobs need to be filled nationally by 2028. Ensuring Pennsylvania has the best trained workforce in the country will propel economic output and growth.

FISCAL DISCIPLINE REFRAMED The popularity of DOGE efforts in Washington proves that Pennsylvanians have an appetite for cuts and efficiency. Pennsylvanians aren’t necessarily demanding austerity — they’re demanding accountability.

This means controlling spending while redirecting taxpayer dollars toward infrastructure, education, and economic development. A smaller government can still do big things when it’s focused.

The reality is that Pennsylvania doesn’t need to stay stuck at 41st place. But reversing course requires leadership with a plan rooted in affordability, opportunity, and economic renewal.

If Republicans offer a focused, voter- centered agenda — one that prioritizes outcomes — they won’t just remain competitive in Pennsylvania.

They’ll build a governing majority, just like Republicans were able to accomplish in Florida and Ohio.

(Athan Koutsiouroumbas is a managing director at Long Nyquist and Associates and a former congressional chief of staff.)