The Best and Worst Run States in America

Yahoo News ^ | 11/22/2013 | Mike Sauter, Thomas C. Frohlich, Alexander E.M. Hess and Ashley C. Allen

[Responsibility2nd]

How well run is your state? It can be difficult to objectively assess the quality of a state’s management. The economy and standard of living can be affected by decisions made decades ago, forces outside the control of the state’s government and administrators, as well as the government's own actions.

Every year, 24/7 Wall St. tries to answer this question by conducting an extensive survey of every state. To determine how well states are managed, we examined their financial data, as well as the services they provide and their residents' standard of living. This year, North Dakota is the best-run state in the country for the second year in a row, while California is the worst-run for the third year in a row.

These are the best-run states in America.

1. North Dakota
2. Wyoming
3. Iowa
4. Nebraska
5. Utah
 

These are the worst-run states in America.

46. Nevada
47. Rhode Island
48. Illinois
49. New Mexico
50. California
 

[Responsibility2nd]

Details at the link.

[Responsibility2nd]

How did your state do? Click here for the full list of the best- and worst-run states.
 

[Viennacon]

Can’t say I disagree. Although Texas is run pretty well.

[facedown]

Woo hoo! Illinois isn’t dead last! We have room for improvement.

[kevkrom]

Adding a little color-coding to make the pattern perfectly clear:

These are the best-run states in America.

1. North Dakota
2. Wyoming
3. Iowa
4. Nebraska
5. Utah

These are the worst-run states in America.

46. Nevada
47. Rhode Island
48. Illinois
49. New Mexico
50. California

[needmorePaine]

Is New Mexico purple? I thought it was blue as well.

[sickoflibs]

CA made 50, is the bigger number better?

[El Cid]

We're #1!
We're #1!!

Whoo-Hoo!

(The biggest Number is the Winner - right?)

[traderrob6]

Indiana does pretty darn well also.

[Fledermaus]

TN at #16 with lowest per captia debt (we have to balanced budgets) but our crime rate is too high thanks to our two liberal bastions: Nashville and Memphis.

[needmorePaine]

43. New Jersey


But, but, but...Christie 4 President!!!!

/

[The Truth Will Make You Free]

This is a VERY simplistic rating. Trends are not taken into account. Neither is the cost of living nor deferred maintenance on infrastructure.

[doorgunner69]

I am truly amazed Hawaii did not make bottom group on worst list.

[Big Red Clay]

We’re Number 4! We’re Number 4!

[Lx]

Woo Hoo, Go California, we’re #1!
Um wait...

[kevkrom]

Is New Mexico purple? I thought it was blue as well.

I was being generous.

[Tenacious 1]

I didn’t research where they got some of the stats for the states. But I checked IL. The numbers are rigged for IL as a result of being heavily rigged for Chicago.

It makes me wonder about the rest.

[SVTCobra03]

Oklahoma ranked 33rd. They faulted Oklahoma for 18% of residents not having health care. That has nothing to do with how the state is run. Individuals should be responsible for purchasing their own health care.

[TigersEye]

Colorado was among the states spending the least on public welfare programs as of fiscal 2011 — one of three to spend under $1,000 per capita.

That's a bad thing?

The poverty level last year, however, was better than the national rate, at under 14%.

Ah, so it's not so bad.

Colorado’s education spending per capita was slightly below the U.S. average in fiscal 2011. Spending may have been low because the state did not have all that much money to spend. As of fiscal 2011, the Centennial State raised just $5,763 in total revenue per resident, among lowest figures.

Good grief! That's almost $6k per resident, not per student, and that's low and not enough!?! CO rates low for not enough government spending. Gotta ramp up our handout programs.

[MountainDad]

Aren’t we number 4 in the Legends division too?