Utah has done it again! The 2021 “Rich States, Poor States” report recently released by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) ranks Utah as the state with the strongest economic outlook in the nation. Utah has held this first place designation for the past 14 years. View state-by-state data HERE.
To determine its rankings, the report utilizes the ALEC-Laffer Economic Competitiveness Index, which includes a number of equally weighted criteria.
The economic outlook ranking is based on 15 state policy variables, such as personal income tax, corporate income tax, property tax, and sales tax, amongst others. In addtion to the Economic Outlook Rank, the report also includes an Economic Performance Rank based on three variables — GDP, domestic migration, and employment. Utah was ranked fourth in economic performance.
ALEC is a nonpartisan, voluntary membership organization of state legislators dedicated to the principles of limited government, free markets and federalism.