The Rocky Mountain region had the stronger economic trends during the third quarter of 1992, according to the latest nationwide economic indicator analysis by Kemper Securities Inc.
Brad Langs, a tax-exempt fixed-income analyst at Kemper, attributed the region's strong showing to having "nowhere to go but up" after hitting bottom with the oil crisis in the 1980s.
Meanwhile, East Coast and West Coast states continued to dominate the weakest category, while the Midwest remained relatively stable.
"It seems the West Coast is lagging a little bit with the recession and the East Coast seems to have hit bottom and is coming back," Langs said.
Ranked in order of economic strength were: North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Colorado, Kentucky, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Wyoming, Kansas, and Idaho.
Ranked in order of economic weakness were: California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Connecticut, Florida, Rhode Island, and Washington, with Georgia and Nevada tied.
Kemper measures the performance of all 50 states and the District of Columbia in terms of economic growth, home sales, mortgage delinquencies, mortgage foreclosures, and unemployment rates. The state rankings are based on the percentage change from the third quarter of 1991.
