Worst State Economies: How Georgia Ranks

ATLANTA, GA — It's no secret that the Atlanta metro is in the hunt for a second Amazon headquarters and the region has been a hub of job growth in technology, manufacturing and health care. Now, a new study from consumer finance site WalletHub ranks Georgia at No. 9, a strong showing on its list of 2018 best and worst state economies.

"In order to determine which states are pulling the most weight, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 28 key indicators of economic performance and strength," the study notes. "Our data set ranges from GDP growth to startup activity to share of jobs in high-tech industries."

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The study notes that some states contribute more than others to the country's economic growth. For example, California — No. 4 on the list — boasts a GDP larger than countries including the U.K., France and India.

Georgia, coming in at No. 9, earned an economic activity rank of 5, an economic health rate of 12, and an innovation potential rank of 25.

The state with the worst economy? Louisiana, coming in at No. 51 behind the rest of the states and Washington, D.C.

Washington state had the highest GDP growth, while Hawaii had the lowest unemployment rate.

These states ranked as having the top five best economies:

1. Washington
2. Utah
3. Massachusetts
4. California
5. Colorado

These were the bottom five:

1. Louisiana
2. Mississippi
3. Alaska
4. West Virginia
5. Arkansas

Read the full rankings on WalletHub.

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