90 Miles From Tyranny

Sunday, September 19, 2021

THE STATES WITH THE MOST (AND LEAST) DEBT - Result: States With Strong Republican Leadership Have The Least Debt.

State debts have steadily increased over the years.

State governments have many expenses, including education, infrastructure, healthcare, welfare, and other obligations. When revenue fails to meet the budget, debt is incurred to keep the state running.

However, not all states are as equally burdened by debt than others. Some states have invested heavily in social programs. Others have cut taxes without increasing revenue. Yet, some states have

We evaluated the data to find the states with the most debt for their population size:

Here are the 10 states with the most state debt per capita
Massachusetts
Connecticut
Rhode Island
Alaska
New Jersey
New York
Hawaii
New Hampshire
Vermont
Illinois

Massachusetts comes in 1st with $11,171 in state debt per capita, being the most indebted state government for population size.

While California has the largest size debt (no surprise with their hefty population size) and if often used as a model of too much debt, it only works out to $3,867 per person- only $62 more than North Dakota.

Here are the 10 states with the least state debt per capita

Tennessee
Nebraska
Nevada
Georgia
Florida
Wyoming
North Carolina
Arkansas
Texas
Alabama

Southern states with relatively few social programs (including weak unemployment benefits) dominate the top 10. All 10 of the above states have under $2k in debt per capita.

Check Out The Full List, All 50 States Ranked From Most Debt Per Person To Least

Rank	State	Debt Per Capita
1.	Massachusetts	$11,171
2.	Connecticut	$10,882
3.	Rhode Island	$8,401
4.	Alaska	$8,065
5.	New Jersey	$7,419
6.	New York	$7,155
7.	Hawaii	$6,850
8.	New Hampshire	$5,662
9.	Vermont	$5,609
10.	Illinois	$4,876
11.	Delaware	$4,723
12.	Maryland	$4,631
13.	Washington	$4,386
14.	West Virginia	$4,184
15.	Wisconsin	$4,001
16.	South Dakota	$3,956
17.	Louisiana	$3,893
18.	California	$3,867
19.	North Dakota	$3,805
20.	Pennsylvania	$,3710
21.	Maine	$3,570
22.	New Mexico	$3,386
23.	Michigan	$3,354
24.	Virginia	$3,256
25.	Indiana	$3,238
26.	Kentucky	$3,223
27.	South Carolina	$3,049
28.	Oregon	$3,011
29.	Missouri	$2,997
30.	Colorado	$2,952
31.	Minnesota	$2,907
32.	Ohio	$2,865
33.	Montana	$2,619
34.	Kansas	$2,574
35.	Mississippi	$2,520
36.	Utah	$2,339
37.	Oklahoma	$2,148
38.	Arizona	$1,964
39.	Iowa	$1,933
40.	Idaho	$1,902
41.	Alabama	$1,794
42.	Texas	$1,758
43.	Arkansas	$1,590
44.	North Carolina	$1,554
45.	Wyoming	$1,382
46.	Florida	$1,340
47.	Georgia	$1,233
48.	Nevada	$,1038
49.	Nebraska	$1,033
50.	Tennessee	$893

HOW WE DETERMINED THE STATES WITH THE MOST DEBT

This one was fairly simple. We used data on each state’s debt in billions from WorldAtlas, which uses data from 2017. This looks at government debt– not personal debt such as home loans or credit card debt.

From there, we simply compared the debt to the 2017 population numbers in the ACS Census. The higher the debt per capita, the more indebted the state.

SUMMARY ON THE 10 STATES WITH THE MOST DEBT

There you have it, the 10 states with the most debt. From Massachusetts to Illinois, these states have a higher amount of debt per person than most states. These states tend to have more social support structures in place.

Similarly, the states with the least debt are overwhelmingly in the south and offer fewer or weaker social supports.

There are a few takeaways to keep in mind. These numbers are not adjusted to reflect cost of living. Cost of living can vary dramatically from state-to-state and even within a state itself. Just look at the average home price in Tennessee and Massachusetts.

Another factor to take into consideration is that these numbers are from 2017 and do not reflect the Covid pandemic or the impact of policy changes in the past few years...

Despite reports of potential violence and beefed up security, including the National Guard and fencing, Saturday’s “Justice for J6” rally attracted a few hundred demonstrators and ended without major incidence.

Photos and video taken around the Capitol show media and police, many heavily armed and in riot gear, vastly outnumbered protesters, who were gathered in support of defendants detained in connection with the January 6 Capitol attack.

Police in riot gear stand in front of the U.S. Capitol during the ‘Justice for J6’ rally in support of those charged in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol on September 18, 2021 in Washington, DC.

The event began with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the national anthem.

“We condemn all violence, political violence,” said Matt Braynard, founder of Look Ahead America and organizer of the rally. “I’m demanding that you all are respectful and obedient to police officers today. In fact, I’d like to start off — can we please have a round of applause to the main police officers?”

Then a string of speakers spoke for about 90 minutes and condemned anyone who committed violent acts on January 6, 2021, and called for justice for dozens of people who were arrested in the wake of the riot, many of whom, they said, did not commit violent acts but remain behind bars months later.

“[This is] not about President Trump,” Braynard said. “It’s not about President Biden. It’s not about the election. It’s not about what you think happened with the election.”

“This is about justice and disparate treatment and equal treatment under the law.”

In a video ahead of the rally, Braynard told people who wanted to attend not to wear shirts with any political message or disparaging signage.

Braynard pointed out that violent protests on the left, from Antifa in Portland, Oregon, to those who stormed congressional office buildings to protest then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, were never prosecuted. These protesters, he said, were bailed out on the same day they were arrested.

This is in contrast to what Braynard and other speakers said is the treatment of people now jailed in D.C. related to the Capitol attack, some of whom have been allegedly kept in solitary confinement, and others reportedly not allowed to shave or cut their hair.

Demonstrators gather for the “Justice for J6” rally in Washington, DC, on September 18, 2021. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Those in attendance called for transparency and the release of more than a dozen hours of video from January 6 still unseen by the public.

“Release the video!” the crowd chanted. “Equal justice or no justice!”

“We’re gonna raise our voices in defense of our fellow Americans who’ve had their rights and due process violated,” said Braynard, who called these individuals “political prisoners.”

“We’re gonna raise our voices, demanding justice for Ashli Babbitt and for...