Lazaro Aleman: Greene Publishing, Inc.
The brief government shutdown in January, because of the federal lawmakers' inability to resolve their differences once again underscored the political dysfunction in the nation's capitol and how susceptible both blue and red states are to such events, even if temporary.
To determine exactly how affected states are to such work-stoppages, the financial website WalletHub conducted a comparison of the 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC) across six key metrics, ranging from a state's share of federal jobs and contracts to the percentage of kids covered by Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
In brief, the study found that on average, red states ranked 28.17 and blue states 22.90 in terms of their dependence on the federal government and the extent of a shutdown's impact, with 25 being the average and the lower the number, the greater the impact.
Florida, with a total score of 26.19, ranked 37th overall out of the 50 states and Washington DC, according to the study. At number one, or the most impacted, was the District of Columbia, with a total score of 72.42; and at 51, or least impacted, was Minnesota with a total score of 13.31.
Florida's ranking across the six metrics were: 34th in terms of share of federal jobs; 26th in terms of federal contracts per capita; 42nd in terms of small business lending per capita; 4th in terms of real estate as a percentage of Generalized System of Preferences (GSP); 44th in terms of access to national parks; and 28th in terms of percentage of children under CHIP.
The top 10 states most affected by the shutdown, starting with the District of Columbia, in chronological order, were Maryland, Virginia, Alaska, Hawaii, New Mexico, Montana, Oklahoma, California and Alabama. The 10 states least affected by the shutdown, in descending order, were North Dakota, North Carolina, Illinois, Iowa, Tennessee, Ohio, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan and Minnesota.
To view the full report in more detail, go to www.wallethub.com/edu/government-shutdown-report/1111/.