The West/Central region of the United States posted the strongest economic performance during the second quarter of 1992, according to the latest nationwide economic indicator analysis by Kemper Securities Inc.
Ranked in order of economic strength were: Montana, Kansas, New Mexico, Wyoming, North Dakota, Utah, Idaho, South Dakota, Colorado, and Alaska.
"Those states had harder times in the 1980s and are starting to come back," said Brad Langs, a tax-exempt fixed-income analyst at Kemper.
Kemper measures the performance of all 50 states and the District of Columbia in terms of job growth, home sales, mortgage delinquencies, mortgage foreclosures, and unemployment rates.
Though the East Coast continued to be the nation's weakest performer, improvements were notable in Maine and West Virginia, which were on the list of the weakest performers in the first quarter of 1992. Currently, seven of the weakest states are on the East Coast, compared to eight in the first quarter.
Ranked in order of economic weakness were: Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, California, Delaware, Rhode Island, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Nebraska, and Hawaii.
