You knew you lived in paradise: Florida was just named one of the best states in the U.S.

Making fun of Florida has become a national pastime, and for good reason. We understand why others believe we are a lawless, sweaty stew of corruption, stupidity and unsettling reptile sightings.

But maybe, just maybe, this assessment is wrong, because a new U.S. News & World Report study argues that Florida is one of the best states in the U.S.

In its Overall Best States Rankings, U.S. News & World Report puts Florida at no. 10 out of 50. The Sunshine State is not the best (that’s Washington), but it’s far from the worst (Louisiana) and a lot higher on the list than most of us would’ve guessed considering the number of viral videos set here.

To rank the states, the analysts used surveys to ask almost 70,000 Americans how satisfied they were with state government services and where they thought resources should be focused. They used 71 different metrics, weighing them in importance based on the responses, including health care, education, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime and corrections and natural environment.

Florida scored high (no. 3) in education, with a high school graduation rate of 86.3 percent and debt at graduation at $24,629, under the national average of $28,996. It was ranked no. 1 in terms of higher education.

But sorry, University of Miami — you were the second-best university in the state while the University of Florida was ranked no 1. Go Gators indeed.

Florida also scored well in the fiscal stability and economic categories (no. 8), though it was no. 25 in health care and no. 26 in crime.

Where did Florida fall short? Opportunity (no. 33), for which U.S. News considers households living below the federal poverty line, food insecurity, median household income and disparity of income.

This story was originally published March 10, 2021 at 6:00 AM.