West Virginia ranks 23rd in state economic outlook rankings
(The Center Square) – West Virginia ranks 23rd in the new economic outlook rankings from the American Legislative Exchange Council.
The annual rankings from ALEC – an organization favoring limited government, free markets and federalism – rank states on 15 state policy categories including gross domestic product, domestic migration and non-farm payroll employment.
West Virginia ranked 47th in the backward-looking economic performance metric.
West Virginia earned top rankings for lack of estate/inheritance tax and for being a right-to-work state.
The ranking is several spots ahead of the No. 28 ranking in 2023 after being 25th in 2022, 32nd in 2021, 28th in 2020 and 31st in 2019.
West Virginia’s lowest points rankings (zero to 50 in 15 categories) came from remaining tax burden (46 for $23.75 per $1,000 of personal income), state liability system survey (45), personal income tax progressivity (36 for $12.25 change per $1,000 of income).
West Virginia scored just two points for having just $0.63 per $100 of payroll in average workers’ compensation costs along with two points for recently legislated changes.
Wisconsin ranked 46th in state gross domestic product, 31st in absolute domestic migration and 50th in non-farm payroll.
