In announcing that it turns out there WiLL be a larger-than-predicted surplus to start fiscal year 2026 in West Virginia, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said “We’re saving money, we’re running government more efficiently, and we’re making decisions to say when we’re going to spend money, let’s make sure we spend it on the things that really matter and drive economic growth.”

So what really matters? A few studies released recently might give us some clues.

West Virginia is 46th in the country for state health care systems, according to WalletHub — ranking 49th for cancer rate, 51st for stroke and heart disease rate, 50th for the percentage of residents with no dental visit in the past year and 51st for average monthly insurance premium.

According to WalletHub, which bills itself as helping individuals make personal financial decisions, we are 8th in the country for the most “at-risk” youth. Our kids are disconnected, overweight or obese, and struggling in poverty.

Those kids are being put through a public school system that is ranked 45th in the country; 48th lowest math scores and 49th lowest reading scores. Our kids also have the 49th lowest median SAT scores and are ranked 47th for having a high rate of bullying incidents.

And, we rank 47th for being dependent on the federal government.

Meanwhile, a company called ValuePenguin rated West Virginia as the second most “lonely” state, with 16.1% of respondents reporting they usually or always feel lonely.

One bright spot among the recently released studies is that West Virginia is seventh in the country for best early childhood education systems, according to WalletHub. If only that kind of performance could be sustained for our older kids.

People are what really matters. People who know they have access to a decent education; quality, affordable healthcare and healthy foods. People who do not feel disconnected, isolated and alone. People who are not struggling so badly they feel the need to lash out and bully others (that’s not just happening among children, folks). People who have hope they can get a good job that will help them provide a decent quality of life for themselves and their families.

Good, safe bridges, roads and water systems; affordable utilities; affordable, accessible high-speed internet access — those matter, too.

So, yes, let’s drive the diversification and expansion of our economy. Let’s also shift our priorities so the human beings who can make that kind of growth happen actually believe it will not put their wellbeing at risk to stay or move to the Mountain State.