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The Best and Worst Run States in America: A Survey of All 50<br>
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<b><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://tinyurl.com/ln65lae">http://tinyurl.com/ln65lae</a> </b><br>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><strong>20. Idaho</strong><br>
<strong>> Debt per capita:</strong> $2,489 (16th lowest)<br>
<strong>> Budget deficit:</strong> 3.6% (39th largest)<br>
<strong>> Unemployment:</strong> 7.1% (tied-23rd lowest)<br>
<strong>> Median household income:</strong> $45,489 (15th
lowest)<br>
<strong>> Pct. below poverty line:</strong> 15.9% (tied-22nd
highest)</p>
<p>Idaho’s government has relatively conservative spending habits,
if the last few years are any indication. The state spent just
$5,510 per resident in fiscal 2011, putting it just outside of the
10 lowest spenders. Revenue was roughly $6,600 per resident that
year. The state had just a 3.6% budget shortfall as of fiscal
2012, one of the smallest in the country. As of the end of that
year, the state had funded nearly 85% of its aggregate pension
obligations. While Idaho may be doing a better-than-average job
managing limited resources, the state’s economy appears to be
struggling. Idaho’s GDP grew just 0.4% last year, worse than all
but a handful of states. The state was one of the hardest hit in
the region during the housing price collapse, the effects of which
could be still seen in the high foreclosure rate last year.<br>
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<p>The Methodology by which the survey was done:<br>
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<p><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://247wallst.com/special-report/2013/11/21/the-best-and-worst-run-states-in-america-a-survey-of-all-50-2/7/">http://247wallst.com/special-report/2013/11/21/the-best-and-worst-run-states-in-america-a-survey-of-all-50-2/7/</a>
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<br>
Ken<br>
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