It’s been nearly three and a half years since COVID hit and the catastrophic lockdowns paralyzed the economy in most blue states.

The lingering negative effects are STILL being felt in these blue states. The latest state employment/unemployment report again confirms that Republican-led states continue their jobs boom while Democrat-led states are still lagging behind. The number of jobs right now is a much better economic indicator than unemployment rates because of the widely varying labor force participation rates among the states. Texas, for example, has over 7% more people working today than pre-pandemic, while Illinois has yet to recover to its pre-pandemic employment level.

The states that top the chart for job creation are no surprise to frequent Hotline readers. Utah has been number one in the Rich States, Poor Statespublication every year. Idaho has been seeing the highest percentage of domestic in-migration of any state. Texas has a history of conservative leadership, and we have repeatedly highlighted the many ways in which Florida has become solidly pro-free enterprise over the last several years. And the states near the bottom? They tend to be big government basket cases with high taxes, high spending, and high regulation.