How Arizona’s Economy Compares to Other States
The COVID-19 pandemic sent economic shockwaves through the U.S. economy, tripling the monthly unemployment to nearly 15% and leading to a more than 30% quarterly decline in GDP — by far the largest economic contraction in U.S. history.
No corner of the country was untouched by the pandemic’s economic consequences — but some states have emerged better off than others. A range of factors, including industrial diversity, labor force education levels, household income, and long-term GDP growth, have an effect on a state’s overall economic strength — and its ability to withstand the impact of the pandemic.
To determine the states with the best and worst economies, both in the years leading up to the pandemic and during it, 24/7 Wall St. created an index of five measures of five-year economic growth, five-year employment growth, the poverty rate, unemployment rate, and share of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Few states have reported stronger GDP growth than Arizona in recent years. Over the last half decade, Arizona’s economy has expanded at an average rate of 2.9% annually, more than double the comparable 1.4% national growth rate. GDP growth in Arizona was driven in part by construction — a sector that typically benefits from population growth. Between 2010 and 2020, Arizona’s population grew by 11.3% from new residents moving in alone, faster growth due to net migration than all but two other states.
Still, Arizona is struggling with high unemployment in the wake of the pandemic. As of March, 6.7% of its labor force were out of work, well above the 6.0% national unemployment rate.
All index components used to create this ranking were included at equal weight. All data used to create the index came from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau. Additional state level data on economic output by industry from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This is how all 50 state economies rank.
| Rank | State | Poverty rate | March 2021 unemployment rate | Avg. annual employment chg., March 2016 to March 2021 | Avg. annual GDP chg., Q4 2015 to Q4 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah | 8.9% | 2.9% | +2.0% | +3.9% |
| 2 | Idaho | 11.2% | 3.2% | +2.3% | +3.9% |
| 3 | Washington | 9.8% | 5.4% | +1.2% | +4.3% |
| 4 | Colorado | 9.3% | 6.4% | +1.4% | +2.8% |
| 5 | New Hampshire | 7.3% | 3.0% | +0.2% | +0.6% |
| 6 | Nebraska | 9.9% | 2.9% | +0.0% | +1.2% |
| 7 | Minnesota | 9.0% | 4.2% | -0.1% | +1.1% |
| 8 | Massachusetts | 9.4% | 6.8% | +0.2% | +1.4% |
| 9 | Georgia | 13.3% | 4.5% | +1.7% | +2.2% |
| 10 | Oregon | 11.4% | 6.0% | +0.9% | +2.8% |
| 11 | Virginia | 9.9% | 5.1% | -0.2% | +1.2% |
| 12 | Kansas | 11.4% | 3.7% | +0.2% | +1.1% |
| 13 | Montana | 12.6% | 3.8% | +0.5% | +1.2% |
| 14 | South Dakota | 11.9% | 2.9% | +0.6% | +0.8% |
| 15 | Florida | 12.7% | 4.7% | +0.9% | +2.2% |
| 16 | Maryland | 9.0% | 6.2% | -0.6% | +1.0% |
| 17 | Arizona | 13.5% | 6.7% | +1.9% | +2.9% |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 10.4% | 3.8% | -0.2% | +0.8% |
| 19 | Vermont | 10.2% | 2.9% | -1.9% | -0.1% |
| 20 | North Carolina | 13.6% | 5.2% | +0.8% | +1.7% |
| 21 | Indiana | 11.9% | 3.9% | +0.1% | +1.5% |
| 22 | South Carolina | 13.8% | 5.1% | +0.9% | +1.8% |
| 23 | Maine | 10.9% | 4.8% | -0.7% | +1.0% |
| 24 | Alabama | 15.5% | 3.8% | +1.3% | +1.1% |
| 25 | Tennessee | 13.9% | 5.0% | +1.2% | +1.0% |
| 26 | Missouri | 12.9% | 4.2% | -0.0% | +0.7% |
| 27 | New Jersey | 9.2% | 7.7% | -0.9% | +0.3% |
| 28 | Iowa | 11.2% | 3.7% | -0.9% | +0.3% |
| 29 | Ohio | 13.1% | 4.7% | +0.0% | +0.7% |
| 30 | North Dakota | 10.6% | 4.4% | -0.6% | -0.4% |
| 31 | Texas | 13.6% | 6.9% | +0.6% | +1.7% |
| 32 | California | 11.8% | 8.3% | -0.6% | +2.4% |
| 33 | Delaware | 11.3% | 6.5% | +0.4% | -0.6% |
| 34 | Nevada | 12.5% | 8.1% | +1.5% | +1.9% |
| 35 | Michigan | 13.0% | 5.1% | -0.6% | +0.4% |
| 36 | Wyoming | 10.1% | 5.3% | -0.4% | -1.6% |
| 37 | Rhode Island | 10.8% | 7.1% | -0.8% | -0.5% |
| 38 | Oklahoma | 15.2% | 4.2% | +0.4% | -0.6% |
| 39 | Pennsylvania | 12.0% | 7.3% | -0.8% | +0.6% |
| 40 | Illinois | 11.5% | 7.1% | -1.6% | +0.2% |
| 41 | New York | 13.0% | 8.5% | -0.8% | +0.8% |
| 42 | Arkansas | 16.2% | 4.4% | +0.1% | +0.6% |
| 43 | Alaska | 10.1% | 6.6% | -0.8% | -0.8% |
| 44 | Connecticut | 10.0% | 8.3% | -2.4% | +0.1% |
| 45 | Kentucky | 16.3% | 5.0% | -0.1% | +0.5% |
| 46 | Hawaii | 9.3% | 9.0% | -2.1% | -0.5% |
| 47 | West Virginia | 16.0% | 5.9% | +0.3% | -0.2% |
| 48 | New Mexico | 18.2% | 8.3% | -0.1% | +1.1% |
| 49 | Mississippi | 19.6% | 6.3% | +0.1% | +0.5% |
| 50 | Louisiana | 19.0% | 7.3% | -0.8% | +0.3% |
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This article was published on May 20, 2021 and is reproduced with permission from the Center Square.
