Community Chat

[Oznell]

The ALEC-Laffer State Economic Outlook Rankings for this year are out now.  The top ten rankings are:

Utah

Indiana

North Carolina

North Dakota

Tennessee

Florida

Wyoming

Arizona

Texas

Idaho

Interesting to see North Dakota up there.  I'm assuming that's because the oil boom must be continuing?  It's good to see states move up to prosperity.

I'm going to leave off the bottom 10 states, out of consideration for those of us who live in them and might get depressed!  Congrats, top ten!

[tansy]

This is not a source I would put any faith in.  😏

[sunshine45]

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@tansy wrote:

This is not a source I would put any faith in.  😏

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i agree tansy.....definitely take the information provided with a grain of salt.

[AngusandBuddhasMom]

Property Tax burden for NJ almost 55.00 just one of the reason so I am not surprised we pay for the rest of the country in different ways as does NY,Conn and Calif. We are always in the top for highest earners in the nation. If we were to be like the states in the top of this ranking then we all would be in trouble.

[itiswhatitis]

For a balanced view of how the states are doing, better sources would be the CBO.

I also like this:

U.S. News, with deep experience in rankings and analysis, has assembled thousands of data points about the states and produced an online portal that enables anyone to easily see what makes some states stronger and draw comparisons with others. The project is powered by a Leading States Index developed by McKinsey & Company, which has extensive experience in consulting focused on the improvement of state governance.

The benchmarks reach across seven broad categories – health care, education, opportunity, economy, infrastructure, crime & corrections and government – and include 68 metrics within the larger categories. The data come from reliable governmental and private sources, and the weight assigned to each category is based on a survey that McKinsey conducted about what matters most to people about their states.

"What we've helped do is collect a wide range of data – a lot of data from publicly available sources," says McKinsey's Andre Dua. "But we've also created our own proprietary data, particularly into how citizens view the performance of governments."

Health care and education are weighted most heavily.

And for this reason, Massachusetts – which ranks No. 1 nationally in education and No. 2 in health care in all of these metrics – stands out as the overall No. 1 Best State. New Hampshire – No 1 in opportunity for its citizens – ranks No. 2 overall. Minnesota – No. 2 in opportunity, No. 5 for infrastructure – ranks No. 3.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-02-28/best-states-explores-which-states-are-be...

[libbyannE]

You need to look for unbiased sources for such info. Always know your source!

[SilleeMee]

I'm sure that the list does not include states that have made millions billions in the marijuana industry. 

[itiswhatitis]

Some states shine in health care. Some soar in education. Some excel in both – or in much more. The Best States ranking of U.S. states draws on thousands of data points to measure how well states are performing for their citizens. In addition to health care and education, the metrics take into account a state’s economy, the opportunity it offers people, its roads, bridges, internet and other infrastructure, its public safety and the integrity and health of state government.

More weight was accorded to some state measures than others, based on a survey of what matters most to people. Health care and education were weighted most heavily. Then came the opportunity states offer their citizens, their crime & corrections and infrastructure. State economies followed closely in weighting, followed by measures of government administration. This explains why Massachusetts, ranking No. 1 in education and No. 2 in health care, occupies the overall No. 1 spot in the Best States rankings. And it explains why New Hampshire, ranking No. 1 in opportunity for its citizens, ranks No. 2 overall in the Best States rankings.

Parameters such as Health Care, Education, Crime and Corrections, Infrastructure, Opportunity, Economy and Government are used to come up with the top 10 list.

[Oznell]

I am a bit baffled that the link I provided to the state economic outlook rankings in my original post disappearred, while another one provided by another poster is left in?

But that's OK.   I think people should be able to see all different ways of determining prosperity rankings, and those interested will be easily able to seek them out.

Whatever way you judge them, I'm pleased for any and all states that are able to improve their prospects, but I'm disappointed that some posters don't want everyone to have access to a variety of points of view.