These States' Economies Are Pulling Their Weight

How well the US economy is doing is dependent on how well the states themselves are doing, and WalletHub looked at all 50 states and the District of Columbia to see which ones boast the best economies. Three main categories are in play: economic activity (including startup activity, exports per capita, and the yearly change in GDP); economic health, which examines everything from unemployment rates and median annual household income, to government surpluses or deficits per capita; and innovation potential (think the share of jobs in tech or STEM, local entrepreneurship, and the like). Here, the top and bottom 10:

Best economies

1. Washington (No. 1 in "Economic Activity" category)
2. Utah (No. 1 in "Economic Health" category)
3. Massachusetts (No. 1 in "Innovation Potential" category)
4. Texas
5. California
6. Colorado
7. Florida
8. North Carolina
9. District of Columbia
10. Arizona

Worst economies

42. Ohio
43. Maine
44. Iowa
45. Rhode Island
46. Kentucky
47. Louisiana
48. Arkansas
49. West Virginia (last in "Innovation Potential" category)
50. Hawaii
51. Mississippi

See how other states fared here. (Residents can't quit these "sticky" states.)