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June 25, 2024 | Research
Economy

Red States Outperform Blue States

Research

Republican-Led States Continue To See More Jobs And Lower Unemployment

REPUBLICAN-LED STATES ARE BRINGING BACK JOBS FASTER

  • Newly released data from the Labor Department confirms that Republican governors and legislatures are leading the post-pandemic economic recovery.
  • Through May, 12 of the top 15 states for jobs recovered since the coronavirus pandemic began are led by Republican governors, and 14 of the states have Republican-controlled legislatures.
    • Out of the top 10 states with the least jobs recovered, eight are Democrat-led.
  • Republican-led states on average have recovered 141 percent of their lost jobs compared to just 118 percent for Democrat-run states.
    • Five states have yet to fully recover jobs lost from the pandemic – three of which have Democrat governors and one of which only recently flipped Republican.

(Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 6/25/24)

RED STATES HAVE LOWER UNEMPLOYMENT RATES

  • Out of the top 10 states with the lowest unemployment rates, eight are led by Republican governors.
    • Of the six states with the highest unemployment rates, five are led by Democrat governors.
  • The average unemployment rate for the nation’s 27 states with Republican governors is just 3.2 percent.
    • The average unemployment rate for the nation’s 23 states with Democrat governors is more than half a percentage point higher – 3.8 percent.
  • 64 percent of the states with unemployment rates lower than when the pandemic began are led by Republican governors, and 76 percent have Republican-controlled legislatures.
  • Three states with Republican-controlled legislatures – Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arizona – all reached a new record low unemployment rate in May, and have been the only states to set a new record low in 2024.

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(Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 6/25/24)

REPUBLICAN-LED STATES OUTPERFORM BLUE STATES

  • Republican-led states are outperforming blue states on key economic measures, showing the stark difference Republican leadership has made in driving the post-pandemic economic recovery.
  • According to a recent ABC News analysis, “an overwhelming majority” of Republican-led states are among the top 18 performers on four key economic measures: job growth, personal income growth, gross domestic product growth, and gas prices.
    • Four of the five states experiencing better-than-average performances on all four economic measures are Republican-led states that voted for President Trump in 2020.
    • Similarly, nine of the 13 states experiencing better-than-average performances on three of the four economic metrics voted for Trump in 2020.
  • In 2023, South Carolina and Florida were the two fastest-growing states in the nation while California, Illinois, and New York all saw their populations decline.
  • Republican-led states also outperformed blue states on reopening schools for in-person learning, and studies have proven remote learning caused the academic decline during the pandemic.