Unemployment Rates; Blue State vs Red State

While basking in the awesomeness that is Florida’s unemployment rate, currently 4.8%. I noticed the strongest economic trend I’ve ever seen politically. Blue states dominate all of the highest unemployment rates. In fact, all five states with the highest unemployment rates are governed by Democrats, and all five states with the lowest unemployment rates are governed by Republicans. This led to me wanting to do a side-by-side comparison to analytically see how blue vs red played out during the pandemic and where we are today.

Twenty-three states have Democrats governing them. Of those states, the average unemployment rate based on the most recent reporting from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 6.9%. This is highlighted by the three worst states for unemployment in the country. Hawaii at 10.2%, California at 9%, and New York at 8.8%. So how does this compare?

Twenty-seven states are led by Republican governors and the average unemployment rate in those states stands at 4.7%. This is highlighted by the three states with the lowest unemployment rates. Nebraska at 3.2%, Utah at 3.1%, and South Dakota at 3.1%. In Florida, we sport the lowest unemployment rate of any large state with Texas being closest at 6.8%, a full two points higher.

It’s a fact that the decisions of Democrats have led to far higher than average unemployment rates and financial distress for residents of their states, while the inverse has been true. The pandemic has proven to be the ultimate illustration of red state vs blue state policy. The only question is why anyone would choose to vote for higher unemployment, financial distress, and lockdowns.

Photo by: Getty Images North America


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