News and views from the award-winning author of the novels The Skinny Years, America Libre, House Divided and Pancho Land

Friday, February 17, 2012

The effects of big government on personal income


Below is a state by state ranking of 2010 per capita income and each state’s political affiliation over the past five presidential elections. Seven of the top ten states voted for “big government” Democrats. Seven of the bottom ten states in per capita income voted for “small government” Republicans. If you’d like to see the rest of the nation share in the bounty of wealth producing powerhouses like Arkansas, Utah, South Carolina, Kentucky, Idaho and Mississippi, by all means vote Republican in November.


STATE
AFFILIATION
2010 per capita income
1.    Connecticut
Democrat
54,877
2.    Massachusetts
Democrat
51,302
3.    New Jersey
Democrat
51,167
4.    Maryland
Democrat
49,070
5.    New York
Democrat
48,450
6.    Wyoming
Republican
44,861
7.    Virginia
Republican
44,246
8.    Alaska
Republican
44,205
9.    New Hampshire
Democrat
43,586
10.  Minnesota
Democrat
42,847
11.  North Dakota
Republican
42,764
12.  California
Swing
42,578
13.  Washington
Democrat
42,570
14.  Colorado
Swing
42,226
15.  Rhode Island
Democrat
42,095
16.  Illinois
Democrat
42,057
17.  Hawaii
Democrat
41,661
18.  Pennsylvania
Democrat
40,599
19.  Vermont
Democrat
40,098
20.  Nebraska
Republican
39,674
21.  Delaware
Democrat
39,664
22.  South Dakota
Republican
39,593
23.  Kansas
Republican
39,005
24.  Florida
Swing
38,222
25.  Wisconsin
Democrat
38,177
26.  Iowa
Democrat
38,084
27.  Texas
Republican
37,706
28.  Louisiana
Republican
37,021
29.  Missouri
Swing
36,965
30.  Nevada
Swing
36,919
31.  Maine
Democrat
36,717
32.  Oregon
Democrat
36,427
33.  Ohio
Swing
36,180
34.  Oklahoma
Republican
35,396
35.  Montana
Republican
35,068
36.  North Carolina
Republican
34,977
37.  Tennessee
Republican
34,955
38.  Georgia
Republican
34,800
39.  Michigan
Democrat
34,691
40.  Arizona
Republican
34,553
41.  Indiana
Republican
34,042
42.  Alabama
Republican
33,516
43.  New Mexico
Democrat
33,368
44.  Arkansas
Swing
32,678
45.  Utah
Republican
32,473
46.  South Carolina
Republican
32,460
47.  Kentucky
Republican
32,376
48.  West Virginia
Swing
31,999
49.  Idaho
Republican
31,986
50.  Mississippi
Republican
31,046

Sources:
State per capita income: Bureau of Business and Economic Research
Blue/Red State designantions: Wikipedia
The above classification of red and blue states (as well as purple/battleground states) was determined by compiling the average margins of victory in the five presidential elections between 1992 and 2008. Three of these past elections were won by Democrats, Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996, and Barack Obama in 2008, while two were won by Republican George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004.