State scorecard
Washington in the US Political Rank
Every place Washington holds across our state rankings, in one scorecard. Economy, taxes, education, crime, healthcare, and more, each measured the same way for all 50 states and each linked to the full cited ranking.
#3
of 50 on Ranking the 50 State Economies of 2026
#48
of 50 on States Ranked by Dependence on Federal Money
43.2%
Governor Bob Ferguson performance score, rank 33 of 50
12
state rankings that score Washington
Governor
Washington's governor, Bob Ferguson (Democrat), holds performance rank 33 of 50 at 43.2% this week in the Governor Performance Rankings, scored on 263 metrics and updated every Monday.
| Ranking | Washington's place | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Ranking the 50 State Economies of 2026Posted the fastest first quarter 2026 growth in the nation at a 4.5 percent annual rate, led by the information sector (BEA, June 2026). The AI-era tech buildout is showing up in state output. | #3 of 50 | 91.5 |
| States Ranked by Fiscal Health: Reserves, Pensions, and What They OweThe second-best-funded pension system in America at 103 percent (Equable Institute, 2025). A strong pension position offsets thinner budget reserves. | #9 of 20 | 84.6 |
| States Ranked by Health Care OutcomesA consistent upper-tier Commonwealth Fund state with above-average life expectancy and below-average uninsured rates (Commonwealth Fund; Census ACS, 2023). | #10 of 50 | 89.3 |
| States Ranked by K-12 Education OutcomesAt or above the national average on most of the four 2024 assessments, with the same post-2019 erosion in reading that shows up almost everywhere (NCES, NAEP 2024). | #15 of 50 | 86.8 |
| The Top 20 Energy-Producing StatesThe nation's largest hydroelectric producer by a wide margin, led by Grand Coulee, the largest power plant in the United States by capacity (EIA). | #18 of 20 | 4.8 |
| Voting With Their Feet: States Ranked by Migration and Population GrowthContinued to add population overall in the Vintage 2025 estimates, backed by the information-sector output that led national first-quarter 2026 GDP growth (Census Bureau, 2025; BEA, 2026). | #20 of 50 | 68.9 |
| States Ranked by Violent Crime Rate326.1 per 100,000 with a low murder rate of 3.8, a violent crime rate just under the national average (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2024). | #26 of 50 | 326.1 |
| States Ranked by Total Tax BurdenNo personal income tax, but a high sales tax and the business and occupation gross-receipts tax push its structure to 45th on the 2026 competitiveness index despite the missing income tax (Tax Foundation, 2026). | #37 of 50 | 62.3 |
| States Ranked by Business Climate: What the Major Raters Agree OnThe sharpest split decision in America: CNBC ranks Washington 14th on economy and innovation, while the Tax Foundation ranks its tax structure 45th, citing the business and occupation gross receipts tax and recent tax increases (CNBC, 2025; Tax Foundation, 2026). | #42 of 25 | 44.1 |
| States Ranked by Infrastructure ConditionAmong the five worst-performing state highway systems in the Reason Foundation's 29th Annual Highway Report (Reason Foundation). | #43 of 25 | 56.9 |
| States Ranked by Housing AffordabilityEven the nation's fastest-growing state economy in early 2026 (BEA) cannot outrun its housing: the ratio sits far above the healthy band despite high tech incomes (Best Interest research, 2026). | #46 of 25 | 37.2 |
| States Ranked by Dependence on Federal MoneyOne of only three states with a negative per-capita balance of payments in FFY 2023, at negative 7 dollars per resident, essentially break-even on the wrong side (Rockefeller Institute, 2025). | #48 of 50 | 43.4 |
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