Are Any State (US) In Good Shape?

Factual Questions
1

This may be more of an IMHO than General Questions so please move it you think it’ll get better response

Anyway:

I live in Illinois and we are having a huge budget crisis and our governor is saying it’s the worst financial crisis the state has ever been in. And of course California is a mess, in terms of working out a budget etc.

So my question is are there any states that are doing well? Have their budgets and such doing well? And despite the recession are still basically on solid ground. I realize every state is “a little shaky” because of the recession but all considered, what states are doing well.

2

I think Alaska still has a budget surplus.

Obviously, Sarah Palin needs to head down to California and show them how its done.

3

Alaska was predicting a billion dollar deficit during the winter, though the situation has probably improved since then. 80% of Alaska state revenues are from oil/gas so as long as gas prices stay up, the rest of the economy is more or less irrelevant to their fiscal situation.

Googling gives this graph from CNN, Oregon, N. Dakota and Wyoming seem to be the only states in the black.

4

Wyoming, with a low population and ample natural resources, has been doing alright, I think. The energy price drop might have hurt a bit though.

5

I was going to mention NoDak. Maybe a North Dakotan could chime in. Either one of 'em.

6

That map shows Wyoming with a slight deficit (only a few million), but also has Montana as no deficit. I’ve heard that it’s basically coal that’s keeping us afloat.

7

Texas has a budget surplus this year.

8

New York is in such good shape that half of its state senators don’t even feel that they have to show up for work.

9

Here in Tennessee, money is tight but the budget is still going along.

10

I question that graph. A month ago, Oregon was predicting a 3+ billion shortfall for its upcoming budget. Plus, they have high, high unemployment. I can’t imagine it’s going well down there.

11

You’re not going to find annual budget numbers for Oregon; they run a two year budget.