State Unemployment, Political Party, and State Income Tax

Kelsey Golden in September of 2008 posted an article on ScoopThis.org illustrating relationships between state unemployment rates, controlling political party, and state income taxes.

• 40% of the states with the unemployment rate higher than the national average are controlled by Republicans”
• 60% of the states with the unemployment rate higher than the national average are controlled by Democrats.
• States with a higher-than-national-average unemployment rate have an average state income tax rate of 5.345%
• “Republicans definitively control 70% of the 10 states with the lowest unemployment rates”
• Democrats definitively control 20% of the 10 states with the lowest unemployment rates
• The remaining 10%, Oklahoma, is not controlled by one particular party
• The average state income tax in the 10 states with the lowest unemployment rates is 5.023%
• The top 5 lowest unemployment rate states have a state income tax 3.46% compared to the average of 6.08% for the 5 states with the highest unemployment rates.

To read the entire article, click on High Unemployment Rates Tied to Democrat Controlled States and Higher State Taxes; States with Lower Rates Controlled by Republicans with Lower State Taxes.