Idaho ranks 14th in the nation for economic performance, according to a new analysis by Governing magazine, which also found that in the top 10 states for economic performance, governors had high approval ratings, while in the bottom 10 states, their approval ratings were far lower. Idaho bucked that trend a bit, with Gov. Butch Otter’s approval rating – 49 percent approve of his performance, while 38 percent disapprove – ranking 32nd among the states.
Otter’s job approval rating was two points better than that of the 33rd-ranked governor – Mike Pence of Indiana, the GOP candidate for vice president.
The economic performance ratings were based on six factors: Unemployment rates, changes in unemployment over the past year, per-capita state GDP in 2015, percent change in real GDP between 2014 and 2015, percent change in state personal income per capita, and percentage growth in jobs to date in 2016. The full report is online here.
Via Betsy Russell