Financial Fitness

West Virginia and these nine states are the Top 10 worst for state economies

Washington State has best economy, WalletHub says
West Virginia and these nine states are the Top 10 worst for state economies
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The 10 states that have the worst economies have higher unemployment, home foreclosures and poverty.

That's according to WalletHub, which analyzed every state to determine the best and worst current state economies. WalletHub's analysis using 27 key indicators found:

• Washington has the highest value of exports per capita, $11,390, which is 12.9 times higher than in Hawaii, the state with the lowest at $881.
• Colorado has the lowest unemployment rate, 2.6 percent, which is 2.6 times lower than in New Mexico, the state with the highest at 6.7 percent.
• Massachusetts has the lowest share of the uninsured population, 3.6 percent, which is 5.7 times lower than in Texas, the state with the highest at 20.6 percent.

Source: WalletHub

• New Hampshire has the lowest share of the population living below poverty level, 8.9 percent, which is 2.5 times lower than in Mississippi, the state with the highest at 22.5 percent.
• Colorado has the lowest foreclosure rate, 0.2 percent, which is 14 times lower than in New Jersey, the state with the highest at 2.8 percent.
• Massachusetts has the highest share of jobs in high-tech industries, 7.91 percent, which is 3.4 times higher than in Wyoming, the state with the lowest at 2.33 percent.
• Utah has the highest number of independent-inventor patents per 1,000 working-age residents, 0.184, which is 7.7 times higher than in Mississippi, the state with the lowest at 0.024.

WalletHub ranks West Virginia as having the worst state economy, and Washington State as having the best.

The 10 worst include:
West Virginia
Louisiana
Mississippi
Arkansas
Oklahoma
Alaska
Maine
Kentucky
Wyoming
North Dakota

The 10 best include:
Washington
California
Utah
Massachusetts
District of Columbia
Colorado
Oregon
New Hampshire
Maryland
Delaware

Read the full report here.