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Ranking the states by their fiscal health

The massive federal debt, and the annual deficits that add to it, are frequently in the news. Far less covered are the overall financial challenges facing the fifty states.  A substantial portion of fiscal problems are attributed to underfunded pensions and medical expenses.

While each individual state possesses individual strengths and weaknesses, some generalizations can be made. Overall, citizens of high tax states are leaving to take up residence in lower taxed states.  IRS data reveals that:

  • Texas has the largest positive net migration1 of 152,477 people (number of exemptions) on 72,032 individual income tax returns, followed by Florida (73,789 people on 27,991 returns) and South Carolina (28,905 people on 13,475 returns).
  • New York had the largest negative net migration of 113,861 people on 51,825 returns.
  • Regionally, Texas accounted for more than half of the net migration into the South, while residents leaving New York made up more than half of the net loss from the Northeast.
  • Returns filed by primary taxpayers ages 34 or younger were at least twice as likely as those in any other age category to have migrated to another State between Calendar Years 2012 and 2013.
  • The single largest net migration was from New York to Florida (17,355 people on 7,861 returns).

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The Americans for Tax Reform organizationnoted that in the latest year for which complete records are available (2013) Arizona gained the most in terms of “wealth migration,” predominately from high tax, high regulation states.

“In 2013 Arizona had the largest net population gains from:

  • California 5,366 ($317 million)
  • Illinois 3,701 ($238 million)
  • Washington 1,538 ($82 million)
  • New Mexico 1,304 ($50 million)
  • New York 1,251 ($96 million)

States like New York, Illinois, and California were 2013’s biggest losers.”

Overall fiscal health of each individual state has been ranked by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University .

“With new spending commitments for Medicaid and growing long-term obligations for pensions and health care benefits, states must be ever vigilant to consider both the short- and long-term consequences of policy decisions. Understanding how each state is performing in regard to a vari­ety of fiscal indicators can help state policymakers as they make these decisions. A closer analysis of the individual metrics behind the ranking shows how each state’s fiscal condi­tion should be assessed. Notably, nearly all states have unfunded pension liabilities that are large relative to state personal income, indicating that all states need to take a closer look at their unfunded pensions, which represent a significant portion of each state’s economy. Another finan­cial crisis could mean serious trouble for many states that are otherwise fiscally stable.”

According to the Mercatus research,  Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Florida are currently the most stable, while IllinoisNew JerseyMassachusettsConnecticut, and New York at the bottom.

The complete rankings, from best to worst: Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Florida, Wyoming, Ohio, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Montana, Utah, Nevada, Alabama, Missouri, Idaho, Indiana, South Carolina, Iowa, Texas, New Hampshire, Virginia, Colorado, Washington, Kansas, Oregon, Georgia, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Delaware, Minnesota, Arizona, Mississippi, Michigan, Louisiana, New Mexico, Maryland, Rhode Island, Vermont, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Maine, West Virginia, California, Kentucky, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Illinois.