Study says Utah was the best state at handling the pandemic

Sugarhouse Park in Salt Lake City. Photo: TownLift

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — A recent study published as a working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) seeks to compare Covid-19 economic and health trajectories in the 50 states and District of Columbia.

Their ranking is based on three measures: economy (they used many variables and adjusted for state industry-page 6), education (lost days in school), and Covid mortality adjusted for a state population’s age and the prevalence of obesity and diabetes.

The authors note that economy and schooling are positively correlated, “which suggests a relationship between the willingness of the population (or its politicians) to resume normal activity in business and school.”

When ranking by combined score, Utah is number one by a fair margin.

Top 5 — combined score – economy, education, and mortality

1. Utah  3.64
2. Nebraska 3.25
3. Vermont 3.24
4. Montana 2.29
5. South Dakota  2.08

Bottom 5

1. New Jersey -3.61
2. D.C. -3.3
3. New York -2.94
4. New Mexico -2.61
5. California -2.51

The Beehive State ranked fourth on the economy, fifth in education, and eighth in Covid mortality.

Florida came in with the sixth-best score of 2.04. The Sunshine State ranked 28th in mortality, with California just ahead at #27.

The Golden State ranks 47th overall, largely due to its scores for in-person schooling (50th) and the economy (40th).

Summit County Covid public health emergency will officially end Friday