Pennsylvania Rates Poorly in Several Rankings Based on Economic Issues

By

An aerial view of the state capitol in Harrisburg.

The American Legislative Exchange Council has rated Pennsylvania poorly on economic issues, adding to the slew of low rankings in national surveys for the Keystone State, writes John Baer for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The limited-government, free-market group includes 2,000 legislators and calls itself nonpartisan. However, it’s known for pushing conservative causes and ranking conservative states higher than liberal states in terms of economic policy.

But despite its Republican legislature, Pennsylvania ranked only 38th on the ALEC’s Rich States/Poor States annual report. According to Nathan Benefield, vice president of the Commonwealth Foundation, this is due to tax, spending, and labor issues.

However, according to Marc Stier, director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, the report by ALEC actually ranks states on how much they do to help the rich.

Advertisement

“They should call their report `the economic outlook for oligarchs,’” he said.

Prior to this survey, Pennsylvania received a D-minus on the budget report cards issued by the Volcker Alliance. The state is also 44th in unemployment, the highest in the Northeast.

A USA Today report on the best and worst states for business ranked Pennsylvania 40th, while 24/7 Wall Street ranked the Keystone State 46th on its 2017 best states/worst states ranking.

Read more about Pennsylvania’s rankings in the Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.

Join Our Community

Never miss a Delaware County story!

"*" indicates required fields

Hidden
DT Yes
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Advertisement