Thursday, March 28, 2024
59.1 F
Oxnard
More

    Latest Posts

    Goodbye Constitution Freedom America by Don Jans

    2019’s Best & Worst State Economies

    By Adam McCann, Financial Writer

    Editor’s note: This article was first published on Wallethub and used with permission

    U.S. economic growth depends heavily on the performance of individual states. But some contribute more than others. California, for instance, blossomed in 2017 as the fifth largest economy in the world, boasting a GDPlarger than that of countries like the U.K., France and India. Meanwhile, Alaska, a state with valuable natural resources, is struggling with the highest unemployment rate in the country, at 6.5%.

    In order to determine which states are pulling the most weight, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 28 key indicators of economic performance and strength. Our data set ranges from GDP growth to startup activity to share of jobs in high-tech industries. Read on for our findings, expert insight from a panel of researchers and a full description of our methodology.

    Main Findings

    State Economy Rankings
    Overall Rank
    (1 = Best)
    State Total Score ‘Economic Activity’ Rank ‘Economic Health’ Rank ‘Innovation Potential’ Rank
    1 Washington 77.60 1 4 2
    2 Utah 73.51 2 1 10
    3 Massachusetts 70.23 5 20 1
    4 California 69.13 3 35 3
    5 Colorado 63.79 9 3 8
    6 District of Columbia 58.97 4 15 15
    7 Idaho 58.23 13 2 18
    8 Oregon 56.83 16 22 7
    9 New Hampshire 56.75 20 17 5
    10 North Carolina 55.90 15 11 12
    11 Arizona 55.54 12 10 14
    12 Texas 55.17 10 7 20
    13 Michigan 53.87 22 31 4
    14 Georgia 53.27 6 18 26
    15 Minnesota 51.84 28 16 11
    16 Maryland 51.71 18 37 9
    17 Virginia 51.33 14 13 25
    18 Florida 50.74 8 5 37
    19 New York 49.88 11 41 17
    20 Nevada 47.06 7 8 48
    21 New Jersey 46.85 19 44 13
    22 Tennessee 46.48 17 6 39
    23 Wisconsin 45.96 29 21 24
    24 Missouri 45.95 27 26 21
    25 Delaware 45.94 30 25 16
    26 Pennsylvania 44.92 21 38 19
    27 Connecticut 42.66 42 49 6
    28 Indiana 42.58 31 24 30
    29 Iowa 42.41 37 14 27
    30 North Dakota 42.01 26 27 34
    31 Kansas 41.74 24 29 33
    32 Nebraska 41.36 36 12 35
    33 Illinois 39.06 23 48 29
    34 South Carolina 39.02 32 23 41
    35 Alabama 38.87 34 30 36
    36 Ohio 38.84 25 43 32
    37 Vermont 38.57 48 34 22
    38 Montana 38.39 46 19 31
    39 Oklahoma 35.97 35 33 42
    40 South Dakota 35.78 47 9 44
    41 New Mexico 35.41 41 51 23
    42 Maine 34.42 38 36 43
    43 Rhode Island 33.52 50 39 28
    44 Wyoming 32.52 45 40 40
    45 Kentucky 31.74 33 45 46
    46 Arkansas 30.17 43 32 50
    47 West Virginia 28.92 40 42 51
    48 Hawaii 28.80 51 28 47
    49 Mississippi 28.63 44 46 45
    50 Louisiana 28.53 39 47 49
    51 Alaska 28.49 49 50 38

    Ask the Experts

    Not all economic growth strategies are effective. For the best ways to stimulate the economy and achieve lasting prosperity, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:

    1. What are the most effective ways for state and local officials to boost their local economies?
    2. What can states do to prevent “brain drain” and develop, attract and retain highly skilled workers?
    3. States often compete for business investment by offering tax breaks and other incentives. Do such efforts more often result in a net positive or net negative impact on state economies? Do such efforts create a “race to the bottom” across states?
    4. What makes a state attractive to potential entrepreneurs?
    5. In evaluating the states with the best economies, what are the top five indicators?

    Methodology

    In order to determine the best state economies, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across three key dimensions: 1) Economic Activity, 2) Economic Health and 3) Innovation Potential.

    We evaluated those dimensions using 28 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest economic performance.

    We then determined each state and the District’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

    Economic Activity – Total Points: 33.33

    • GDP Growth: Quadruple Weight (~13.33 Points)
    • Share of Fast-Growing Firms: Triple Weight (~10.00 Points)
      Note: This metric measures the number of firms in Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 list as a percentage of total firms.
    • State Gross Public Debt as Percent of GDP: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
    • Exports per Capita: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
    • Startup Activity: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
      Note: This metric measures the rate of newly established firms.

    Economic Health – Total Points: 33.33

    • Unemployment Rate: Double Weight (~4.30 Points)
    • Underemployment Rate: Half Weight (~1.08 Points)
    • Change in Nonfarm Payrolls (2018 vs. 2017): Full Weight (~2.15 Points)
    • Change in Total Civilian Labor Force (2018 vs. 2017): Full Weight (~2.15 Points)
    • Increase in Ratio of Full-Time Jobs to Part-Time Jobs (2017 vs. 2016): Half Weight (~1.08 Points)
    • Median Annual Household Income Adjusted for Cost of Living: Full Weight (~2.15 Points)
    • Growth in State Personal Income (2018 vs 2017): Full Weight (~2.15 Points)
    • Government Surplus/Deficit per Capita: Full Weight (~2.15 Points)
    • Unfunded Public Pension Plans per Capita: Full Weight (~2.15 Points)
    • Share of Uninsured Population: Half Weight (~1.08 Points)
    • Share of Population in Poverty: Full Weight (~2.15 Points)
    • Foreclosure Rate: Full Weight (~2.15 Points)
    • Growth in Number of Businesses (2016 vs. 2015): Full Weight (~2.15 Points)
    • Fiscal Health: Full Weight (~2.15 Points)
      Note: This metric is based on the George Mason University Mercatus Center’s state fiscal rankings, particularly the State Fiscal Condition Index, which refers to the sum of cash, budget, long-run, service-level and trust-fund solvency indices for each state.
    • Building-Permit Activity: Full Weight (~2.15 Points)
      Note: This metric measures the total number of new privately owned residential-building permits issued annually per capita.
    • Average Educational Attainment of Recent Immigrants: Half Weight (~1.08 Points)
      Note: The educational attainment of recent immigrants aged 25 and older from a foreign country is classified as having either no high school diploma; a high school diploma or equivalent; some college experience or an associate’s degree; a bachelor’s degree; or a graduate or professional degree.
    • Average Educational Attainment of Recent Migrants from Other U.S. States: Half Weight (~1.08 Points)
      Note: The educational attainment of recent migrants aged 25 and older from other states within the U.S. is classified as having either no high school diploma; a high school diploma or equivalent; some college experience or an associate’s degree; a bachelor’s degree; or a graduate or professional degree.

    Innovation Potential – Total Points: 33.33

    • Share of Jobs in High-Tech Industries: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
    • Share of STEM Employment: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
    • Independent Inventor Patents per 1,000 Working-Age Population: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
    • Industry R&D Investment Amount per Total Civilian Employed Population: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
      Note: “R&D” refers to research and development.
    • Nonindustry R&D Investment Amount as Share of GDP: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
      Note: “R&D” refers to research and development.
    • Entrepreneurial Activity: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
      Note: This metric is based on the Kauffman Index of Startup Activity, which is an equally weighted index of three normalized measures of startup activity, as defined by the Kauffman Foundation: the Rate of New Entrepreneurs (percentage of adults becoming entrepreneurs in a given month); the Opportunity Share of New Entrepreneurs (percentage of new entrepreneurs driven primarily by “opportunity” vs. “necessity”); and the Startup Density of a Region (number of new employer businesses, normalized by the business population).

    Videos for News Use:

    Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Deloitte, United Health Foundation, American Legislative Exchange Council, Mercatus Center at George Mason University, Council for Community and Economic Research, Renwood RealtyTrac, United States Patent and Trademark Office, usgovernmentdebt.us, National Science Foundation and Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

     

    This article was first published on Wallethub and used with permission


    Get Citizensjournal.us Headlines free  SUBSCRIPTION. Keep us publishing – DONATE

    - Advertisement -

    1 COMMENT

    0 0 votes
    Article Rating
    Subscribe
    Notify of
    guest

    1 Comment
    Newest
    Oldest Most Voted
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments
    William Hicks
    William Hicks
    4 years ago

    Idaho is looking pretty good

    Latest Posts

    advertisement

    Don't Miss

    Subscribe

    To receive the news in your inbox

    1
    0
    Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
    ()
    x