States hardest hit by recession getting less stimulus than states faring better
An analysis by the Wall Street Journal has uncovered that states hardest hit by the economic recession are in fact sometimes getting less stimulus per-person than states faring better.
Some of the states worst hit by the recession are getting far less federal economic-stimulus money per person than states faring better.
Nevada, where unemployment stood at about 10% when the plan was passed, is getting $541 for each resident from the stimulus money allocated so far, a Wall Street Journal analysis found. Wyoming, where the 3.9% jobless rate was the lowest in the country in February, is getting $1,074 per person.
Florida, North Carolina and Oregon are among the other states with relatively low per-capita payouts, despite battling double-digit unemployment. North Dakota and South Dakota, meanwhile, are also receiving large quantities of stimulus money relative to their small populations — even while unemployment remains about half the national average.
Per-capita funding figures, of course, don't give a full picture, and the Obama administration says the stimulus was always as much about investments in infrastructure as it was about targeting short-term unemployment. Still, the results leave some cash-strapped states feeling shortchanged.
