By Adam McCann / WalletHub
Coronavirus isn’t just a danger to Americans’ health. It’s also a menace to our wallets. Due to the pandemic, many states still have restrictions on businesses, though the country is gradually reopening more and more as vaccination increases. The U.S. is still struggling to recover from the unemployment caused by business closures, too. While the federal government has helped mitigate some of this damage through multiple rounds of business loans, direct stimulus payments to individuals and increased unemployment benefits, it will take a long time for state economies to fully recover. That’s especially true in states that depend heavily on the industries that were most affected by the pandemic.
Some states are better positioned economically to deal with the coronavirus pandemic than others. To find out the states whose economies are hit the most by COVID-19, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 13 unique metrics. Our data set ranges from the share of employment from small businesses to the share of workers with access to paid sick leave and the increase in unemployment insurance claims. Read on for the full ranking, additional insight from a panel of experts and a complete description of our methodology.
Main FindingsDetailed FindingsAsk the ExpertsMethodology
Main Findings
State Economies Most Exposed to Coronavirus
| Overall Rank | State | Total Score | Highly Affected Industries & Workforce | Resources for Businesses to Cope Better with the Crisis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisiana | 57.37 | 10 | 1 |
| 2 | Oklahoma | 57.10 | 3 | 6 |
| 3 | Hawaii | 56.75 | 2 | 10 |
| 4 | Ohio | 54.23 | 4 | 16 |
| 5 | Nevada | 53.87 | 1 | 31 |
| 6 | Alaska | 53.77 | 9 | 15 |
| 7 | West Virginia | 53.45 | 11 | 11 |
| 8 | Virginia | 52.65 | 7 | 23 |
| 9 | New Mexico | 50.10 | 18 | 9 |
| 10 | Wyoming | 48.78 | 6 | 36 |
| 11 | Kentucky | 48.62 | 31 | 2 |
| 12 | Mississippi | 48.59 | 30 | 3 |
| 13 | New York | 48.36 | 5 | 37 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | 47.52 | 12 | 34 |
| 15 | Illinois | 46.95 | 21 | 17 |
| 16 | Indiana | 46.55 | 27 | 8 |
| 17 | Montana | 46.55 | 25 | 24 |
| 18 | Kansas | 45.30 | 38 | 5 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 45.16 | 33 | 12 |
| 20 | Florida | 44.97 | 22 | 28 |
| 21 | Maine | 44.81 | 13 | 42 |
| 22 | Texas | 44.30 | 15 | 38 |
| 23 | Michigan | 44.20 | 14 | 40 |
| 24 | Georgia | 44.19 | 23 | 30 |
| 25 | Delaware | 43.90 | 36 | 13 |
| 26 | Massachusetts | 43.71 | 16 | 41 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | 43.61 | 28 | 25 |
| 28 | Tennessee | 43.58 | 29 | 21 |
| 29 | Alabama | 43.49 | 40 | 7 |
| 30 | New Jersey | 42.56 | 26 | 32 |
| 31 | New Hampshire | 41.97 | 34 | 26 |
| 32 | Connecticut | 41.40 | 17 | 45 |
| 33 | Arkansas | 41.37 | 50 | 4 |
| 34 | South Carolina | 40.71 | 41 | 20 |
| 35 | Missouri | 40.49 | 42 | 18 |
| 36 | Iowa | 39.82 | 48 | 14 |
| 37 | Vermont | 39.78 | 19 | 46 |
| 38 | North Carolina | 39.61 | 43 | 22 |
| 39 | California | 39.28 | 24 | 44 |
| 40 | Colorado | 38.44 | 8 | 50 |
| 41 | South Dakota | 38.01 | 45 | 27 |
| 42 | Idaho | 37.54 | 47 | 29 |
| 43 | Maryland | 37.20 | 32 | 43 |
| 44 | Minnesota | 36.88 | 37 | 39 |
| 45 | Nebraska | 36.84 | 51 | 19 |
| 46 | North Dakota | 36.81 | 39 | 35 |
| 47 | District of Columbia | 36.15 | 20 | 51 |
| 48 | Utah | 34.76 | 46 | 33 |
| 49 | Oregon | 33.34 | 35 | 49 |
| 50 | Arizona | 30.51 | 44 | 47 |
| 51 | Washington | 29.83 | 49 | 48 |
