Washington State

Washington rated the best state economy in country. Here’s how other states measured up

Washington has been ranked as the best state economy in the nation, according to a recent study by WalletHub, a personal finance website.

The study compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia by economic activity, economic health and innovation potential. The study used 28 measures to compare states such as exports, unemployment rates, fiscal health, entrepreneurial activity and jobs in high tech industries.

Washington ranked as the top state overall, as well as ranking third in economic activity, seventh in economic health and second in innovation potential.

Following Washington in the top five ranked state economies were Utah, California, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

The state with the worst economy was West Virginia, which beat out Alaska, Louisiana, Hawaii and Oklahoma.

The study used information and data from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and the National Science Foundation.

This story was originally published June 6, 2022 at 11:50 AM.

Alyse Smith
The Bellingham Herald
Alyse Smith is a reporter at The Bellingham Herald covering retail, restaurants, jobs and business. If you like stories like this, please consider supporting our work with a subscription to our newspaper.
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