KY economic outlook ranked 39 of 50

39

39

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) released its fifth annual Rich States, Poor States rankings. Interested in where Kentucky landed? Brace yourself, it is not pretty.

Kentucky's economic outlook was ranked 39 out of 50 states. There were a handful of areas the state was deficient in that specifically damaged its rankings:

  • Kentucky is not a right-to-work state (ranked #50)

  • Debt service as a share of tax revenue in Kentucky is 13.2% (#49)

  • Kentucky levies an estate/inheritance tax (#50)

I'm not sure if the folks at ALEC took into consideration Kentucky's very series pending pension crisis, but I'm sure that won't help the situation either. We need leadership in Kentucky that is willing to address the issues of debt, taxes, and labor. If these issues aren't addressed, Kentucky will be stuck on the bottom rung of the ladder to prosperity.

Kentucky does not have to be a poor state.