Every US state's economy, ranked from worst to best

A recent study reported that Massachusetts has the best economy in the United States. Cavan-Images/Shutterstock No two states' economies are the same. A recent WalletHub study ranked the economies of every state and Washington, DC, from worst to best. Massachusetts topped the list overall, while South Dakota ranked no. 1 in economic health. California's economy is the fourth largest in the world, having passed Japan's last year and trailing only the US, China, and Germany in terms of GDP. But GDP metrics don't always tell the full story of what conditions are like for the people and businesses located there. A recent WalletHub study ranked all US states and Washington, DC, on their economies by evaluating their performance in 28 different economic indicators. These metrics made up three overall categories: economic activity, economic health, and innovation potential. Economic activity was measured by factors including the state's change in GDP from 2024 to 2025, its share of fast-growing companies, and exports per capita. Economic health included the state's unemployment rate, foreclosure rate, and fiscal health. Innovation potential was measured by the share of jobs in high-tech industries, entrepreneurial activity, and other indicators. WalletHub then calculated each state's weighted average across the three dimensions, which provided the basis for its overall ranking. The study drew on data from a range of sources, including the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Bureau of Economic Analysis. While the study doesn't paint the full picture of the economic conditions for residents, it may indicate the states where workers might have more job opportunities and where businesses have strong growth potential. WalletHub added that its analysis also shows "which states are pulling the most weight in moving the US economy forward." "A strong state economy doesn't guarantee success for the state's residents, but it certainly makes financial success more attainable," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the study. Here's the list of every US state and Washington, DC, ranked by their economies, from worst to best. 51. West Virginia Wheeling, West Virginia. aceshot1/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 51 Economic Health Rank: 30 Innovation Potential Rank: 51 50. Kentucky Louisville, Kentucky. Alexey Stiop/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 43 Economic Health Rank: 38 Innovation Potential Rank: 50 49. Louisiana New Orleans, Louisiana. Dennis MacDonald/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 37 Economic Health Rank: 48 Innovation Potential Rank: 47 48. Maine Portland, Maine. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 50 Economic Health Rank: 25 Innovation Potential Rank: 41 47. Rhode Island Providence, Rhode Island. Mihai_Andritoiu/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 49 Economic Health Rank: 35 Innovation Potential Rank: 31 46. Wyoming Casper, Wyoming. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 46 Economic Health Rank: 20 Innovation Potential Rank: 44 45. Mississippi Jackson, Mississippi. Dennis MacDonald/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 34 Economic Health Rank: 32 Innovation Potential Rank: 45 44. Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii. Steve Heap/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 30 Economic Health Rank: 14 Innovation Potential Rank: 49 43. Oklahoma Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Rudy Balasko/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 39 Economic Health Rank: 23 Innovation Potential Rank: 40 42. Missouri St. Louis, Missouri. FilmRAW/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 44 Economic Health Rank: 33 Innovation Potential Rank: 32 41. South Dakota Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 47 Economic Health Rank: 1 Innovation Potential Rank: 48 40. North Dakota Fargo, North Dakota. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 48 Economic Health Rank: 5 Innovation Potential Rank: 38 39. Iowa Des Moines, Iowa. Nick Fox/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 45 Economic Health Rank: 29 Innovation Potential Rank: 28 38. Ohio Cleveland, Ohio. f11photo/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 32 Economic Health Rank: 44 Innovation Potential Rank: 33 37. Illinois Chicago, Illinois. Terelyuk/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 27 Economic Health Rank: 50 Innovation Potential Rank: 26 36. Arkansas Little Rock, Arkansas. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 24 Economic Health Rank: 15 Innovation Potential Rank: 46 35. Nevada Las Vegas, Nevada. AndyGriffin/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 21 Economic Health Rank: 34 Innovation Potential Rank: 43 34. Nebraska Lincoln, Nebraska. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 40 Economic Health Rank: 7 Innovation Potential Rank: 37 33. Washington, DC Washington, DC. xbrchx/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 25 Economic Health Rank: 51 Innovation Potential Rank: 14 32. Alaska Anchorage, Alaska. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 14 Economic Health Rank: 42 Innovation Potential Rank: 42 31. Wisconsin Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Matthew A Reddy/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 41 Economic Health Rank: 26 Innovation Potential Rank: 18 30. Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Erik Gonzalez/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 29 Economic Health Rank: 41 Innovation Potential Rank: 16 29. Vermont Montpelier, Vermont. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 38 Economic Health Rank: 28 Innovation Potential Rank: 21 28. Alabama Birmingham, Alabama. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 26 Economic Health Rank: 22 Innovation Potential Rank: 34 27. Michigan Detroit, Michigan. Matthew G Eddy/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 42 Economic Health Rank: 46 Innovation Potential Rank: 11 26. New Mexico Santa Fe, New Mexico. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 36 Economic Health Rank: 36 Innovation Potential Rank: 13 25. New Jersey Jersey City, New Jersey. Mariusz Lopusiewicz/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 23 Economic Health Rank: 47 Innovation Potential Rank: 15 24. Oregon Portland, Oregon. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 33 Economic Health Rank: 45 Innovation Potential Rank: 8 23. Kansas Topeka, Kansas. Mihai_Andritoiu/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 20 Economic Health Rank: 13 Innovation Potential Rank: 30 22. Indiana Indianapolis, Indiana. FilmRAW/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 13 Economic Health Rank: 39 Innovation Potential Rank: 27 21. Minnesota Minneapolis, Minnesota. Rudy Balasko/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 28 Economic Health Rank: 12 Innovation Potential Rank: 20 20. Maryland Baltimore, Maryland. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 35 Economic Health Rank: 43 Innovation Potential Rank: 4 19. Montana Bozeman, Montana. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 17 Economic Health Rank: 6 Innovation Potential Rank: 35 18. South Carolina Columbia, South Carolina. Mihai_Andritoiu/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 11 Economic Health Rank: 17 Innovation Potential Rank: 39 17. Tennessee Nashville, Tennessee. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 12 Economic Health Rank: 3 Innovation Potential Rank: 36 16. Connecticut Hartford, Connecticut. f11photo/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 22 Economic Health Rank: 40 Innovation Potential Rank: 7 15. Arizona Phoenix, Arizona. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 16 Economic Health Rank: 16 Innovation Potential Rank: 23 14. Virginia Richmond, Virginia. Eli Wilson/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 18 Economic Health Rank: 9 Innovation Potential Rank: 19 13. New Hampshire Manchester, New Hampshire. Wangkun Jia/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 31 Economic Health Rank: 10 Innovation Potential Rank: 6 12. Georgia Atlanta, Georgia. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 10 Economic Health Rank: 21 Innovation Potential Rank: 25 11. Idaho Boise, Idaho. CSNafzger/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 19 Economic Health Rank: 2 Innovation Potential Rank: 17 10. Florida Orlando, Florida. CreativeStudio79/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 6 Economic Health Rank: 19 Innovation Potential Rank: 29 9. Colorado Denver, Colorado. Kevin Ruck/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 15 Economic Health Rank: 24 Innovation Potential Rank: 5 8. Texas San Antonio, Texas. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 7 Economic Health Rank: 11 Innovation Potential Rank: 24 7. New York Buffalo, New York. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 4 Economic Health Rank: 31 Innovation Potential Rank: 22 6. North Carolina Raleigh, North Carolina. Oak City Drone/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 9 Economic Health Rank: 8 Innovation Potential Rank: 9 5. Delaware Wilmington, Delaware. James Kirkikis/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 1 Economic Health Rank: 27 Innovation Potential Rank: 10 4. California Sacramento, California. NorthSky Films/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 2 Economic Health Rank: 49 Innovation Potential Rank: 3 3. Utah Salt Lake City, Utah. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 3 Economic Health Rank: 4 Innovation Potential Rank: 12 2. Washington Seattle, Washington. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 8 Economic Health Rank: 18 Innovation Potential Rank: 2 1. Massachusetts Boston, Massachusetts. Terelyuk/Shutterstock Economic Activity Rank: 5 Economic Health Rank: 37 Innovation Potential Rank: 1 Read the original article on Business Insider