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28k for 5 years is as good as funding gets at cuny, you should go. 
 you also get access to all the faculty members in the greater NYC area. 

this might be what you're looking for: http://www.phdstipends.com

I think you should think of the US News rankings as a rough gauge of perceived "prestige." On the rankings page you can click on the methodology section, but essentially US News sends out a survey questionnaire to professors in the field asking them to rate departments and then aggregates the results. So, what you see in the list isn't incredibly precise or scientific, but it does roughly show you how other faculty in the field view various departments. At the end of the day, these are the faculty that will be hiring you if you want a tenure track job in academia and academia is still a relatively prestige-focused place.
I don't think ranking is the be-all and end-all, and each person has to decide how much they value other factors like location, faculty fit, and finances. That said, it's disingenuous to act like ranking doesn't matter, especially if your goal is to get a tenure track job in academia. If it isn't then the calculation may change. Some schools may consistently outperform their ranking in terms of placing students in the job market and others may underperform, but in the grand scheme of things this is largely a wash. 
Funding is also something to consider. Does the program you're considering fully fund students? I can't imagine it would be worth it otherwise. I'm not going to tell you what your goals are or what aspects you value most in a program, and there is certainly plenty of room to achieve your goals at a huge range of schools. But I would encourage at least attempting to shoot as high as you can in the rankings and then see what happens.

I think rank should be the last thing you think about when making a decision. You're applying to get the experience and expertise. Look at the here.
It'd be nice to go to a high-ranked program, but why get in, and then struggle to survive in it? It's really up to you, but the value of a graduate school education is based on what opportunities you take on while being enrolled. Here's another good article to read. 

U Penn rejects: I'm sorry to see that, and I hope you guys have better offers. Care to tell me how you found out? And if you did not get an email at this point, does it mean that you could be on the waitlist? 

Did anyone hear from Penn State? I'm itching to contact them, but I'm at the point where I'm hesitating. I just want to know if all have been notified since not everyone is on The Grad Café. 
How about Upenn? In the same boat and seems VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY QUIET...
 
IDK if "No news is good news" is applicable at the moment. SWEATING LIKE CRAY!

Who got the yale acceptance? Care to tell us more? 

Congrats--I hope you get a spot for funding ASAP!
Noooo I'm sorry. Hang in there. So many decisions aren't even out yet. 
 
Guys, I need some news!!!!! Can we get UPenn/UWM/UMichigan/Northwestern/IUB to hurry up, and can we get UChicago to reject me already so I have one less portal to check?

I think everyone should keep in mind that a lot of the strongest candidates will be admitted to multiple programs, but they can only pick one! More spots will open up as those decisions are made. Additionally, many schools don't start sending acceptances until February. Don't reexamine your entire career trajectory until at least the third week of April.
Also, I suggest you ask yourself if you're getting anything useful from these forums and the results page. If it's truly helpful, great, but if it's sending you into a tailspin everytime you check it, consider blocking the site (I use an app called Self Control for this). The truth is, no one here can tell you if you'll be accepted or not, or what you can do to improve your application, because we just don't know. Looking at this site will not change your status, your application, or your chances, and it also can't give you any information about your standing. It can only bring you additional info with which to compare yourself to others. If you find that to be self-harming rather than motivating (does anyone actually find it motivating?), you may want to protect your sanity and emotional stability by staying away until you get some concrete responses.
Also, your acceptance and/or rejection is not a reflection of your intelligence or worthiness or future success in this field or in life in general. The admissions process is opaque and idiosyncratic, and it's nowhere near done.