How does Washington rank on key issues like innovation, education, transportation, and business climate? Find out in the latest update to the Benchmarks for a Better Washington, released today by the Washington Roundtable.
The Benchmarks that tells us exactly how Washington ranks on a set of 13 key data points, as compared to the other 49 states. Our goal? Make Washington a top 10 state for quality of life and innovation while ensuring it is not one of the 10 most expensive states in which to do business.
Click below to see the February 2016 Benchmarks for a Better Washington:
Based on data collected since the Benchmarks were updated in the fall of 2015:
- Washington continues to be a leader in growth and innovation, ranking 4th in private sector job creation and 5th in patent generation.
- Our education system continues to produce mixed results. Washington ranks 7th in 8th grade math performance, a slight decline from the previous ranking, though still in the top 10 states. Our state continues to rank among the bottom third of all states based on high school graduation rates (38th) and bachelor’s degrees awarded per capita (39th).
- Washington falls to 40th for average statewide commute time (now 26.8 minutes).
- Washington drops down to 38th for business tax burden. The state and local business tax burden is equal to 5.4 percent of gross state product.
The Benchmarks tell us where Washington stands today on these key metrics and remind us that hard work is needed to catch up, keep up, and move ahead. See the full report, including an in-depth Fact Sheet at waroundtable.com/benchmarks.