America's top financially healthy states

 Among the most positive trends of the last few years have been Americans’ wholesale abandonment of the Network news programs and cable shows on CNN, their growing reliance on independent Internet sources of news and commentary, and Elon Musk’s purchase and revision of Twitter, which dramatically reopened the boundaries of free speech and further diminished government power and the power of the Democrat propaganda media to push leftist narratives unchallenged.

To the horror of the Democrat media, the truth about Democrat policies and the damage they inevitably cause has enjoyed a much broader exposure in the marketplace of ideas. Without that liberty, Democrats would certainly find it much easier to dominate politics and other spheres of American life. 

And now we learn, again, no doubt to the horror of Democrats and their media propagandists, that Republicans are in charge of government in the five most financially healthy states, while Democrats are in charge of the five least healthy. The healthiest state is North Dakota:  washingtonstand.com/article/republicans-dominate-5-financially-healthiest-state-governments-democrats-run-the-5-worst

The TIA report — the 17th annual edition of the nonprofit’s “Financial State of the States” — compares how much each of the 50 state governments have in terms of assets and liabilities, then computes how much each resident would receive in states with a surplus, and how big a new tax bill each tax-paying resident of deficit-ridden jurisdictions would face. The compilation in this news story of partisan affiliations of the state governments involved was done by The Washington Stand, not TIA.

In 2025, North Dakota ended up with more than $21 billion more than it needed to pay bills, and this despite declining oil and natural gas revenues.

Alaska is the nation’s second healthiest state government, according to TIA, with a surplus valued at $64,200 per resident. Alaska Republicans occupy the three highest executive branch positions, and the GOP controls the state Senate, but Democrats hold the lower chamber.

Wyoming is the third healthiest of the state governments, with a surplus valued at $30,300, followed by Utah at $14,900 and Tennessee at $11,400. Republicans hold all of the top executive branch positions, as well as control of both chambers of these states’ legislatures.

 

Wyoming is known as the most Conservative state in the Union and the least populated, so that score is expected. Wyomingites, including me, are proud of that, and pretty much hope everyone else moves to Texas or anywhere else, not Wyoming. But which are the least healthy states?

At the opposite end of the rankings is New Jersey, with just $56.8 billion to fund $219.1 billion in outstanding debt. Every New Jersey resident would have to pay $45,800 in taxes to eliminate the deficit. The biggest share of the outstanding debt is in unfunded pension and retiree health care benefits. The former debt is more than $79 billion, while the latter exceeds $91 billion.

 

Connecticut is the second least healthy state government, according to the TIA report, with every resident having to pay an additional $41,400 in taxes to restore the Nutmeg State’s financial health. Third is Illinois, with a deficit per resident of $36,900, followed by Massachusetts, where $24,100 would have to be paid by each resident, and California at $16,000. 

This is as interesting as it is unsurprising:

Together, the top five states gained nearly 48,000 new residents, while the bottom five lost almost 350,000, with California the biggest loser at 229,000.

New York ranks 36th on the TIA ranking, with each resident having to pay another $6,700, while Great Plains and Southern states dominate the sixth through 20th positions of the healthiest states, including Iowa, Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Idaho in the central portion of the United States, and North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia, Oklahoma, and Georgia in the South.

I wonder why this kind of useful, financial information doesn’t find its way onto legacy media newscasts? Actually, no, I don’t.

Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, lifelong athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer, and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/10/what-are-america-s-top-financially-healthy-states/