The Best State Economies in America (2026)
Economic strength varies dramatically across the United States. Our economy score combines unemployment rate data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025) and median household income from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024). States with low unemployment and high incomes rank highest. The economy category carries a 20% weight in our overall composite score — the single largest factor in our rankings. States in the Northeast and West tend to dominate due to higher median incomes, while several Southern and Midwestern states compete strongly on low unemployment.
Economy Score by State
Key Takeaways
- 1Hawaii leads the nation in economy with a score of 90.0, 5.5 points ahead of #2 New Hampshire. The top 3 is rounded out by Maryland at 83.6.
- 2The top 10 is spread across regions — no single region claims more than 3 of the top spots. This suggests economy performance depends more on state-level policy than geographic location.
- 3The 76.1-point gap between #1 Hawaii and #50 West Virginia is one of the widest spreads across all categories. The median state scores 45.7, meaning half of all states fall below this threshold.
- 4The bottom 5 — Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, West Virginia — are concentrated in the South, with 4 of 5 from that region. West Virginia ranks last with a score of 13.9, signaling persistent challenges in economy.
- 5Despite ranking #1 in economy, Hawaii sits at #21 overall — a notable divergence that shows category leadership doesn't always translate to top composite scores. This gap suggests Hawaii has room to improve in other areas to climb the overall rankings.
Related Analysis
Best State Economies 2026: Jobs & Income Ranked
A strong economy is more than a single number. It's whether you can find a job, whether that job pays enough to live on, and whether the trajectory is up or down. We scored all 50 states using BLS unemployment data, Census Bureau median incomes, BEA GDP per capita, and economic growth rates.
Read the full analysis →The best state economy in America in 2026 is Hawaii with an economy score of 90.0/100, followed by New Hampshire (84.5) and Maryland (83.6). See the full rankings below.
| Rank | State | Grade | Economy Score | Overall Score | Key Metrics | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | A+ | 90.0 | 63.2 | 2.2% unemp · $94,814 income | West |
| 2 | New Hampshire | A+ | 84.5 | 87.8 | 2.8% unemp · $97,880 income | Northeast |
| 3 | Maryland | A+ | 83.6 | 67.7 | 2.9% unemp · $98,461 income | Northeast |
| 4 | Virginia | A+ | 72.2 | 74.9 | 2.9% unemp · $87,106 income | South |
| 5 | South Dakota | A+ | 70.3 | 81.8 | 2% unemp · $72,280 income | Midwest |
| 6 | Utah | A | 68.7 | 79.3 | 3.2% unemp · $87,804 income | West |
| 7 | North Dakota | A | 67.7 | 76.6 | 2.2% unemp · $72,583 income | Midwest |
| 8 | Minnesota | A | 63.6 | 76.7 | 3.4% unemp · $85,551 income | Midwest |
| 9 | Colorado | A | 63.6 | 66.2 | 3.8% unemp · $91,340 income | West |
| 10 | Vermont | A | 62.9 | 79.6 | 2.7% unemp · $74,919 income | Northeast |
| 11 | Nebraska | B+ | 60.0 | 74.9 | 2.8% unemp · $73,423 income | Midwest |
| 12 | Connecticut | B+ | 59.8 | 73.5 | 4.2% unemp · $93,228 income | Northeast |
| 13 | Massachusetts | B+ | 57.9 | 72.8 | 4.9% unemp · $101,370 income | Northeast |
| 14 | Wisconsin | B+ | 56.2 | 65.2 | 3% unemp · $72,458 income | Midwest |
| 15 | Iowa | B+ | 56.1 | 69.5 | 3% unemp · $72,429 income | Midwest |
| 16 | New Jersey | B+ | 55.1 | 65.9 | 4.8% unemp · $97,126 income | Northeast |
| 17 | Idaho | B+ | 49.8 | 70.7 | 3.2% unemp · $68,930 income | West |
| 18 | Maine | B+ | 49.7 | 77.3 | 3.2% unemp · $68,810 income | Northeast |
| 19 | Kansas | B | 49.2 | 59.3 | 3.3% unemp · $69,747 income | Midwest |
| 20 | Wyoming | B | 48.4 | 69.4 | 3.5% unemp · $71,847 income | West |
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| 21 | Georgia | B | 47.9 | 51.5 | 3.5% unemp · $71,355 income | South |
| 22 | Alabama | B | 47.6 | 38.9 | 2.7% unemp · $59,613 income | South |
| 23 | Rhode Island | B | 46.9 | 69.8 | 4.3% unemp · $81,800 income | Northeast |
| 24 | Washington | B | 46.9 | 61.4 | 4.9% unemp · $90,325 income | West |
| 25 | Montana | B | 46.1 | 71.1 | 3.7% unemp · $72,340 income | West |
| 26 | Missouri | B | 45.7 | 49.3 | 3.2% unemp · $64,811 income | Midwest |
| 27 | New York | C+ | 43.7 | 58.4 | 4.5% unemp · $81,386 income | Northeast |
| 28 | North Carolina | C+ | 43.5 | 53.7 | 3.5% unemp · $66,880 income | South |
| 29 | Tennessee | C+ | 43.5 | 46.8 | 3.3% unemp · $64,036 income | South |
| 30 | Indiana | C+ | 42.4 | 50.7 | 3.5% unemp · $65,870 income | Midwest |
| 31 | Pennsylvania | C+ | 41.8 | 60.3 | 4.1% unemp · $73,823 income | Northeast |
| 32 | California | C+ | 41.3 | 42.9 | 5.4% unemp · $91,905 income | West |
| 33 | Oklahoma | C+ | 40.0 | 41.5 | 3.3% unemp · $60,528 income | South |
| 34 | Arizona | C+ | 39.7 | 44.7 | 4.3% unemp · $74,568 income | West |
| 35 | Texas | C | 39.6 | 45.8 | 4.2% unemp · $73,035 income | South |
| 36 | Illinois | C | 39.2 | 52.0 | 4.6% unemp · $78,304 income | Midwest |
| 37 | South Carolina | C | 38.6 | 44.0 | 3.5% unemp · $62,064 income | South |
| 38 | Florida | C | 36.7 | 52.8 | 4.3% unemp · $71,516 income | South |
| 39 | Alaska | C | 35.0 | 42.1 | 5.3% unemp · $84,143 income | West |
| 40 | Delaware | C | 32.1 | 52.3 | 5.2% unemp · $79,810 income | Northeast |
| 41 | Ohio | C | 31.7 | 49.1 | 4.1% unemp · $63,715 income | Midwest |
| 42 | Oregon | C | 27.1 | 58.1 | 5.4% unemp · $77,630 income | West |
| 43 | New Mexico | D | 26.9 | 33.1 | 4% unemp · $57,488 income | West |
| 44 | Mississippi | D | 26.7 | 31.5 | 3.7% unemp · $52,985 income | South |
| 45 | Michigan | D | 25.1 | 47.7 | 4.9% unemp · $68,505 income | Midwest |
| 46 | Arkansas | D | 22.9 | 30.9 | 4.2% unemp · $56,335 income | South |
| 47 | Kentucky | D | 22.7 | 38.4 | 4.5% unemp · $60,407 income | South |
| 48 | Louisiana | D | 20.6 | 25.9 | 4.3% unemp · $55,416 income | South |
| 49 | Nevada | F | 18.4 | 40.3 | 5.5% unemp · $70,448 income | West |
| 50 | West Virginia | F | 13.9 | 34.4 | 4.7% unemp · $54,515 income | South |
Top 10 States for Economy
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best state economy in America in 2026?
Hawaii has the best economy in 2026, followed by New Hampshire and Maryland. Rankings are based on unemployment rate and median household income from BLS and Census data.
Which states have the worst economies?
The states with the weakest economies in 2026 are West Virginia, Nevada, and Louisiana, based on higher unemployment and lower median incomes.
How is the economy score calculated?
The economy score combines unemployment rate (BLS 2025) and median household income (Census ACS 2024), normalized to 0-100. It carries a 20% weight in the overall composite score.