Huh. It’s almost like that was the point.
There’s actually nuance here, this is a GDP per capita metric which means not that people are poorer in these states but the people actually produce LESS even for the stakeholders and the shareholders in these states.
So (1) the workers are poorer no fucking surprise there but crucially (2) the companies are poorer and the shareholders are poorer for it as well
Now correlation is not the same as causation for sure, but it certainly seems that their greed is actually counterproductive. That’s the lesson here
And none of the top 9 states with the highest median income are right to work.
It’s as if unions benefitted workers and by extension, the society they lived in. Who would’ve thunk.
Depressing.
Right to work states (alphabetical):
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Lowest 10 state GDP per capita (2023):
51: Mississippi
50: West Virginia
49: Arkansas
48: Alabama
47: South Carolina
46: New Mexico
45: Idaho
44: Montana
43: Kentucky
42: Oklahoma
New Mexico and Montana are apparently not right to work but rank low in GDP per capita. The highest GDP per capita right to work state is North Dakota, ranked 6th in GDP per capita after California (5th) and before Connecticut (7th). Nebraska is the only other right to work state in the top 10 GDP per capita coming in at number 10.
Apologies for formatting, etc. I did this on mobile from my bed.
this is a good run down, with one nit, probably caused by availability of data. Gdp per capita is not a good metric, because its a mean, so verp vulnerable to outliers, and because it represents generation of wealth regardless of if that money stays in the state.
North Dakota is an oil state.
It has a median household income of $68,000, meaning half of all households bring in less than that.
It has a mean income per capita of $37,343
11.5% of people in north dakota live in poverty
north dakota ranks 39th for poverty, which is better than middle.
This is an example of how different stats will have different results. When looking at poverty rates, out of the ten worst, only New Mexico is not a right-to-work state.
This is great qualifying information and I think this shows that you can’t just take the back of a tee shirt at face value. Who knows what the wearer meant by “poorest states.”
I was going to say gdp isn’t a good metric. GDP is economic output and not really relevant.
I’d look at cost of living and wages.
Thank you. I’m not a fan of GDP. If you and I started crotch kicking businesses and paid each other $1,000,000 dollars to kick each other in the crotch, we just contributed $2,000,000 to the GDP with nothing of value created. My testicles hurt and your $PARTS hurt.
Michigan is the first state ever to repeal their “right to work” laws and it will end next March
