The results are in, and Politico has finally caught up with the 5.4 million people in Minnesota who agree that life in this state is pretty awesome, perhaps even the best in the country.

In their annual ranking of the states of the union, Minnesota tied for first place with New Hampshire. Both states are headed by Democratic (Farmer-Labor in Governor Mark Dayton’s case) governors, and it seems that the progressive budgeting produces overall better conditions for the state.

We outrank our other neighbors in the Midwest, including Wisconsin, in annual income, unemployment rate, percentage of people below the poverty line, high school graduates and the overall well-being score.

This news comes along with the revelation of a survey by the National Association of Counties that showed nine Minnesota counties in Greater Minnesota have surpassed pre-recession economic levels. Based on jobs, unemployment rate, economic output and home prices, these counties–Clay, Marshall, Pennington, Polk, Pope, Stevens, Wilkin, Jackson and Murray–have surpassed pre-recession economic levels (something that only 2.1 percent of counties nationwide have achieved). We must continue on this path and make sure that more and more middle class families are no longer feeling the pinch of the Great Recession.

Plus, an annual report released by the Minneapolis and St. Paul Associations of Realtors found that the housing market in the Twin Cities is the healthiest it’s been since the recession. Job and product growth are accelerating in the cities, and we have the lowest unemployment rate of any metro area.

It seems 2015 has been off to a good start for Minnesotans statewide!