Forget State of the Union - What's the State of Texas?

Annually, the President holds a "State of the Union" address in which he speaks of the strength of country, be it strong or weak.

But, what about the "State of Texas"? What's the state of this great place that residents proudly boast about?

Well, according to findings by Politico magazine, Texas is just 'so-so', and sometimes downright bad.

Politico Magazine rounded up 14 different state rankings from reputable sources like the Census Bureau, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the FBI, and on important factors such as high school graduation rates, per capita income, life expectancy and crime rate. [Politco Magazine]

The magazine then averaged these rankings to determine the 'best' and 'worst' states, overall. While their overall ranking really has no scientific merit, the other categories are statistically accurate.

In many cases, Texas doesn't fair too well.

Here are the best and worst states, as listed by Politico (including District of Columbia)

(1) New Hampshire
(2) Minnesota
(3) Vermont
(35) Texas
(49) Arkansas
(50) Louisiana
(51) Mississippi

Here's the statistical breakdown, as gathered by Politico

Wealthiest Per Capita

1. District of Columbia: $45,004
2. Connecticut: $37,807
31. Texas: $25,809
50. Arkansas: $22,007
51. Mississippi: $20,670

Lowest Unemployment

1. North Dakota 2.6
2. South Dakota 3.6
T15. Texas 6.1
T50. Nevada 9
T50. Rhode Island 9

Lowest Poverty Rate

1. New Hampshire 8.4
2. Maryland 9.4
41. Texas 17.4
50. New Mexico 19.5
51. Mississippi 22.3

Highest Home Ownership

1. West Virginia 73.7
2. Minnesota 73.0
42. Texas 63.9
50. District of Columbia 42.4
51. Massachusetts 41.6

Highest Percentage of High School Graduates

1. Wyoming 92.1
2. Minnesota 91.9
49. Mississippi 81.0
51. Texas 80.8

Longest Life Expectancy

1. Hawaii 81.3
2. Minnesota 81.1
28. Texas 78.5
49. West Virginia 75.4
51. Mississippi 75

Lowest Infant Mortality Rate

1. Massachusetts 4.9
1. Utah 4.9
18. Texas 6.2
50. Mississippi 10.2
51. District of Columbia 12.0

Lowest Obesity Rate

1. Colorado 18.7
2. Massachusetts 21.5
39. Texas 28.9
49. Mississippi 32.2
50. West Virginia 33.5

Highest Reported Wellbeing

1. Hawaii 71.1
2. Colorado 69.7
26. Texas 66.6
49. Kentucky 62.7
50. West Virginia 61.3

Highest Math Scores

1. Massachusetts 299
2. Kansas 298
15. Texas 287
50. Mississippi 265
51. District of Columbia 254

Highest Reading Scores

1. Massachusetts 273
1. Vermont 273
31. Texas 261
50. Mississippi 250
51. District of Columbia 241

Least Income Inequality

1. Wyoming 0.4166
2. Alaska 0.4232
42. Texas 0.4767
50. New York 0.5009
51. District of Columbia 0.5343

Lowest Crime Rate

1. Maine 122.7
2. Vermont 142.6
33. Texas 408.6
50. Tennessee 643.6
51. District of Columbia 1,243.7

See the rest of the report here.

So, what do a bunch of numbers say about Texas? Well, I think the look on Rick Perry's face above says it all.

Source: Forget “State of the Union” – What’s the “State of Texas”? Medicore, at Best

Categories: Abilene News, Political