(TargetLiberty.org) – SmartAsset, a technology company offering financial advisory services and tools, released its yearly Best States for the Middle-Class report on October 18. With the 2020 general elections less than two weeks away, the report offers some potential insight into possible outcomes with the addition of each state’s political tilt and Electoral College delegates.
SmartAsset ranked the states based on various parameters like homeownership rates, income, and poverty rates. It also considered changes in job income growth over four years.
We added each state’s current political leanings, followed by the number of each state’s delegates to the Electoral college to determine what patterns might emerge.
The Best 10 States for the Middle Class
The top 10 states include:
- Utah: Likely Red (6)
- Idaho: Safe Red (4)
- Minnesota: Leans Blue (10)
- South Dakota: Safe Red (3)
- Iowa: Toss-up (6)
- New Hampshire: Leans Blue (4)
- Nebraska: Likely Blue (5)
- Colorado: Likely Blue (9)
- Wisconsin: Leans Blue (10)
- Washington (12) Safe Blue
Broken down by political leaning, two states are safe red, one likely red, one safe blue, two likely blue, three lean blue, and one is a toss-up state.
The Worst 10 States for the Middle Class
The bottom 10 states (including Washington, DC) include:
- Pennsylvania: Leans Blue (20)
- North Dakota: Safe Red (3)
- Washington, DC: Safe Blue (3)
- Texas: Leans Red (38)
- Mississippi: Safe Red (6)
- Oklahoma: Safe Red (7)
- New Mexico: Likely Blue (5)
- Connecticut: Safe Blue (7)
- Louisiana: Safe Red (8)
- New York: Safe Blue (29)
When you break the states down by their political tilt, you come up with four states safe red, one leaning red, three safe blue, one likely blue, and one leaning blue.
Final Thoughts
Taken as a whole, distribution is fairly even, with blue states having a slight edge. The difference is markedly different when it comes to states likely to determine the upcoming presidential election outcome. Three blue-leaning states made the list: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and one toss-up state: Iowa.
Copyright 2020, TargetLiberty.org
