The American Legislative Exchange Council today released their 7th annual “Rich States, Poor States” report, which ranks states in two metrics: historical performance based on economic indicators, and forecasted outlook based on policy variables. Here’s the top and bottom 10 breakdown this year:
| Economic Outlook Ranking, 2014 | Economic Performance Ranking, 2002-2012 | |||
| 1. Utah | 41. Rhode Island | 1. Texas | 41. Massachusetts | |
| 2. South Dakota | 42. Oregon | 2. Utah | 42. Maine | |
| 3. Indiana | 43. Montana | 3. Wyoming | 43. California | |
| 4. North Dakota | 44. Connecticut | 4. North Dakota | 44. Wisconsin | |
| 5. Idaho | 45. New Jersey | 5. Montana | 45. Connecticut | |
| 6. North Carolina | 46. Minnesota | 6. Washington | 46. Illinois | |
| 7. Arizona | 47. California | 7. Nevada | 47. Rhode Island | |
| 8. Nevada | 48. Illinois | 8. Arizona | 48. New Jersey | |
| 9. Georgia | 49. Vermont | 9. Oklahoma | 49. Ohio | |
| 10. Wyoming | 50. New York | 10. Idaho | 50. Michigan | |
It turns out that these policies matter. A quick look shows that Utah, North Dakota, Arizona, and Idaho appear in the top ten for performance and outlook, while Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, California, and Illinois appear in the bottom ten for both performance and policy.
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