Americans across the country might have felt worse about the economy last year, but pockets of hope remain.
Nine states and the District of Columbia top Gallup's most recent list of the states with the most economic confidence, but the overall situation isn't pretty. Economic confidence dropped in all 50 states and the District of Columbia last year, according to the ongoing telephone survey conducted by Gallup. Furthermore, a full two-thirds of those surveyed said the economy is getting worse.
Yet in certain areas of our country, there is a sense of optimism. Take North Dakota, a state presently reaping the benefits of an oil boom that has pushed the unemployment rate close to 3 percent (the national unemployment rate is more than double that).
Overall, unfortunately, confidence has been on the decline during a less than inspiring recovery, something made clear when consumer confidence dropped again last month. Could things soon change? With the economy adding 243,000 jobs and the unemployment rate dropping to 8.3 percent, the lowest in nearly three years, it could be possible. Standing in the way are lingering concerns that the housing market and income growth may be holding the economy back: Housing prices have fallen for three straight months according to the most recent data, and the percentage of Americans expecting to see income growth dropped last month too.
Here are the 10 most economically confident states, according to Gallup:
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