New 2008 Wealthiest State Rankings (house, college, tax rates)
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Every state has it's poor areas. I don't think anyone is saying that the most or the majority of people that live in these states are wealthy. The people that live in these states have a higher proportion of wealthy residents than poorer states. Here's a ranking of the states with the percentage of people below the poverty level (2007, since '08 data hasn't yet been released) which should give a clearer view:
Percent of People Below Poverty Level in the Past 12 Months
1. Mississippi--20.6%
2. Louisiana--18.6%
3. New Mexico--18.1%
4. Arkansas--17.9%
5. Kentucky--17.3%
6. (tie) Alabama--16.9%
6. (tie) West Virginia--16.9%
8. District of Columbia--16.4%
9. Texas--16.3%
10. (tie) Oklahoma--15.9%
10. (tie) Tennessee--15.9%
...
40. Vermont--10.1%
41. (tie) Massachusetts--9.9%
41. (tie) Virginia--9.9%
43. Utah--9.7%
44. Minnesota--9.5%
45. Alaska--8.9%
46. Wyoming--8.7%
47. New Jersey--8.6%
48. Maryland--8.3%
49. Hawaii--8.0%
50. Connecticut--7.9%
51. New Hampshire--7.1%
So as you can see only 7.9% of Connecticut's residents areimpoverished (as determined by the CB), the second lowest rate in the country.
Thanks for posting the new data released today! It also looks like MD dropped to second-lowest, that's amazing considering how people here are always complaining about the state.
Thanks for posting the new data released today! It also looks like MD dropped to second-lowest, that's amazing considering how people here are always complaining about the state.
These numbers don't mean a whole lot when they are in absolute dollars and don't factor in the cost of living...do you think a $30K in New York City salary or a $30K in Omaha salary would go farther?
…90% of Connecticut’s wealth is deeply concentrated in southwestern Connecticut outside of NYC. Most of the rest of the state ranks as just "average" in terms of income and housing costs. Parts of northeastern Connecticut have as much rural poverty as parts of South Carolina or Virginia.
This proves to me that you are one who studies demographics, and not a geographer or demographer. I say this because, what is in bold is completely false. I laughed a little, and continue to laugh at how jaded some folks in CT actually are. True demographers wouldn't pull percentages out of the sky like "90% of the population"... instead, they would know this, or find out using available resources.
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Originally Posted by wavehunter007
Not sure about poverty in Connecticut?
Hartford, Connecticut is NUMBER 2 in the nation in the number of Children in poverty…
There is a BIG difference between number and percentage. Connecticut is a very dense state.
How come a lot of blue collar people from the really wealthy states complain about their state and move to some of the LEAST wealthy states?? that can't be the best idea..
Start poor and have a below average salary in a rich state to get the relative situation along with a culture shock in a poor state causing market drops and a bad reputation for a state in the south ... And the people who fell for it
I'm not trying to be offensive, and i'm sure some people have their advantages and fortunes, but too many people are too big of dreamers... no matter where you go, everything flops relatively the same and the salaries pend where ever you go.
These numbers don't mean a whole lot when they are in absolute dollars and don't factor in the cost of living...do you think a $30K in New York City salary or a $30K in Omaha salary would go farther?
Yeah we discussed this, but poorer states like Mississippi or Oklahoma don't come close to Connecticut or Maryland even in terms of purchasing power.
This proves to me that you are one who studies demographics, and not a geographer or demographer. I say this because, what is in bold is completely false. I laughed a little, and continue to laugh at how jaded some folks in CT actually are. True demographers wouldn't pull percentages out of the sky like "90% of the population"... instead, they would know this, or find out using available resources.
There is a BIG difference between number and percentage. Connecticut is a very dense state.
Sorry if I don’t walk around with a textbook strapped to my leg. My point is still the same…there are parts of eastern Connecticut that look vary similar to rural Virginia in terms of poverty, poor economic opportunities, meth use, crime…etc. I have worked in social work in BOTH PLACES. Have you?
…And your constant defending of Connecticut… “proves” to me that you are one of those who needs to think a certain thing or hold a certain “ image”of some place in order for their world to go on. Only one other city over 100,000 people in the USA has more children living in poverty than Hartford. What’s it matter what “percent” of Connecticut’s population is represented in that fact.
Sorry if I messed up your image of Connecticut as being all rich WASP's on boats.
Educated people make more money. Educated people vote Democrat. Educated people either are not extremely religious or are Jewish, Roman Catholic or liberal Protestants -- non evangelical.
Educated people are fitter not fatter. The red states are also the fattest states because people who don't understand or refuse to comprehend nutrition end up eating unhealthy foods.
States with high taxes use this tax revenue to pay for EDUCATION. Conservatives don't like to pay taxes and end up with underfunded school systems full of people who put pulpit ahead of practicality.
It's all a vicious cycle. Less tax revenue = less intelligent people = people who are unhealthier/unhappier = people who succumb to religious extremism. This occurs in poverty-stricken areas of Christian America as well as in poverty-stricken Islamic countries.
The argument is so simple, yet explains so much. Yes the religious fanatics on both sides (Christian and Muslim) fail to realize how similar they are to each other and how dangerous they are to civilized society.
Wow, talk about oversimplifying things.
You are completely discounting the intellectual legitimacy of fiscal conservativism. Conservatives are a diverse bunch. Some are evangelical Christians and vote only based on the issue of abortion. Others never set foot in a church, but understand the principles of limited government on which our nation was founded. To them, liberalism is a threat for completely intellectual and non-religous reasons.
You're also giving way too much credit to liberalism as a whole. Some people are liberal for respectable reasons. Other liberals are high school dropouts who want pot legalized so that getting high is less stressful.
So, please... turn off MSNBC and try to take a more intellectual approach to politics. Your understanding of the forces behind our two party system is obviously very limited.
Quote:
It's all a vicious cycle. Less tax revenue = less intelligent people
Lesson #2: Educated does not equal intelligent. I've encountered many people with low intelligence who happened to have the means and desire to get an education. These people, in turn, tend to equate intellect with level of education. It's a vicious cycle!
I've also met extremely intelligent people who either can't afford a formal eductation or have no interest in spending time in a classroom.
Last edited by michigan83; 09-30-2009 at 06:27 AM..
well something glaring really stands out here. The Top 10 states except for Alaska are all BLUE liberal states and the Top Bottom states are all conservative RED states except for New Mexico.
Hmm......
According to a Rasmussen poll, 29% of respondents in Massachusetts, which is my home state, described themselves as "Liberal". That was the single state which had the highest percentage. Exceeded only by DC.
In both 1980 and 1984, Massachusetts went red in a big way voting for Reagan twice. If Dukakis had not been a native son, Mass would have gone red in 1988 as well.
Just try not to confuse liberal voters with Democratic voters as half of Democratic voters are either Moderate or Conservative.
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