Florida is the 40th worst run out of all fifty states when each state’s financial health and living standards such as health insurance, employment rate, education and crime are considered.
While Gov. Rick Scott touts the state’s AAA credit rating and a low debt per capita because of very little spending relative to its budget, Florida’s lack of expenditure on public welfare has been disastrous for the poor, unemployed and uninsured citizens. The situation is is likely to worsen with an estimated $3 billion deficit in the 2012-2013 budget and further cuts anticipated to social services in an effort to close the gap.
In October, the Sunshine State boasted a jobless rate of 10.3 percent, the fifth highest in the country. Also, 21.3 percent of Florida’s population in 2010 was without health insurance, the third-highest in the nation, according to 247wallst.com. About 15.0 percent of Floridians live below the poverty line, the 16th highest in the country.
Florida has been hard hit too by the housing crisis, where home values have declined the third most in the country between 2006 and 2010. In October, one in every 423 homes was foreclosed upon.
According to 247wallst.com, the best-run state is Wyoming which has an unemployment rate of 5.8 percent, currently the sixth lowest in the country and where 10.3 percent live below the poverty line, the 7th lowest in the nation.
California has the distinction of being the worst-run state, with the second highest jobless rate of 11.9 percent and 14.5 percent of its residents living below the poverty line.
