The economy of the United States is the largest in the world by nominal gross domestic product (GDP) and the second-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). During the past decade, in most of the US states, economy has improved considerably, but that is not to say every state’s economy is equally healthy. Some states are experiencing an economic boom, while others continue to contend with poor GDP growth, low per capita income, unemployment and poverty.

The Ohio Alliance for Innovation in Population Health conducted an analysis of the data collected by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) for 2009 and 2019 and ranked the economic performance of all fifty states in the US. The results determined that the economies of the states such as New Hampshire, followed by North Dakota, turned out to be the healthiest over the past ten years, while the states such as Louisiana and Mississippi were regarded as the most economically distressed states. To be more precise, the most economically distressed states for 2019 were Georgia, Arkansas, South Carolina, Arizona, Kentucky, Alabama, West Virginia, New Mexico, Louisiana, and Mississippi. However, the results of the study should be interpreted with caution.

This is because, though ranked last and being labelled as the poorest state, Mississippi improved its economic distress index score of 153 in 2009 to 141.8 in 2019. The state witnessed an upsurge in nearly all income-related categories. But simultaneously, it also faced widespread weakness across the economy. Sectors shrinking included government, construction, entertainment, arts, agriculture, nondurable goods manufacturing and recreation. The state’s economic conditions weakened as compared to its growth in the past. The economy grew just 0.3% in 2017, compared to 2% growth in 2016. However this is expected to improve in 2018 and 2019.

It can be concluded that economic vitality can help communities remain competitive and adapt to the constantly changing world.