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The States With the Best and Worst Economies<br>
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<p>Is your state a drag on the American economy or a boon? The 50
states — as diverse as they are — each contribute something to the
U.S. economy. Because of their diversity, state economies rarely
trend in unison. GDP growth is often the default measure for
economic strength, but it often fails to tell the whole story.
Unemployment, poverty, job growth, and education among other
factors can also play a part in defining the strength of an
economy.</p>
<p>Economic vitality is as much about growth as it is about the
state’s ability to support its population — with jobs, education,
economic opportunities and more. In turn, employed, better-paid,
and better-educated residents of a state further contribute to
economic growth.</p>
<p>24/7 Wall St. reviewed economic growth, poverty, unemployment,
job growth, and college attainment rates nationwide to compare and
rank each state’s economy. As a result, the best ranked states
tend to have fast-growing economies, low poverty and unemployment,
high job growth, and a relatively well-educated workforce, while
the opposite is generally the case among states with the worst
ranked economies.</p>
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<p><strong>18. Idaho</strong><br>
<strong>> 2016 GDP:</strong> $59.69 billion (9th smallest)<br>
<strong>> 5 yr. GDP annual growth rate:</strong> 1.9%
(tied–13th largest growth)<br>
<strong>> Unemployment:</strong> 3.2% (13th lowest)<br>
<strong>> 5 yr. annual employment growth:</strong> 2.5% (8th
fastest growth)</p>
<p>Idaho’s annual compound employment growth rate of 2.5% between
2011 and 2016 is among the highest of any state. Due in part to
rapid employment growth, only 3.2% of the state’s labor force is
jobless, well below the 4.3% U.S. unemployment rate.</p>
<p>In 2016, the construction sector contributed 0.59 percentage
points to total GDP growth in Idaho, the highest such share of any
state. The uptick in construction was likely driven in large part
by new home construction. New housing starts are up 22.5% in Idaho
from the year prior, one of the largest increases of any state.</p>
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<p><b>Ken</b></p>
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