Iowa ranked as quickest state in nation to recover from COVID-19

(The Center Square) – Iowa’s COVID-19 recovery is the quickest in the nation, according to a WalletHub study released Tuesday.

Iowa ranked first in the nation, earning a total score of 75.25 out of possible 100. WalletHub compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across three categories: 1) COVID Health; 2) Leisure and Travel; and 3) Economy & Labor Market.

The first category is comprised of data in such subcategories as number of vaccinated residents; share of vaccine supply used; positive testing rate; hospitalization rate, death rate; and share of hospitals with staff/equipment shortages. Iowa was ranked 7th in this category.

“Iowa is one of only eight states in which no hospitals reported having supply shortages in the past week, too, and it has one of the lowest shares of COVID-related doctor visits in the past week,” WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez said.

Leisure and Travel includes measurements in the number of daily restaurant visits; seated diners at restaurants compared to pre-COVID levels; a retail and recreation mobility index; and restrictions of gatherings of 25 people or less. Iowa finished 2nd in this category.

Economy & Labor Market includes pre- and post-COVID unemployment levels; real GDP; consumer spending; small business openings and work hours; and real estate listings. Iowa was ranked 5th in this category.

“Iowa ranks as having the quickest recovery from COVID-19 in part because it is one of only three states in the country that experienced an increase in small-business work hours compared to pre-pandemic levels,” Gonzalez said.

“A state's climate can have a big impact on its recovery, too," Gonzalez continued. "States that are warmer, like Florida, allow people to be outside more easily, which gives extra protection to the elderly and other vulnerable demographics. This has led to an economic boom for warmer states, and as people consider where to relocate after the pandemic, climate and tax rates will be among the biggest factors in their decisions.”

Below is a list of the national rankings by state, states' total scores, and rankings according to COVID Health, Leisure & Travel and Economy & Labor Market.

3	Alaska	72.18	1	6	27
28	Hawaii	53.74	2	51	50
8	Connecticut	63.68	3	33	45
13	Vermont	59.99	4	48	28
14	Massachusetts	59.29	5	43	49
2	Nebraska	73.05	6	9	4
1	Iowa	75.25	7	2	5
5	New Hampshire	65.31	8	31	17
35	New York	52.31	9	45	51
25	California	55.15	10	44	47
16	Virginia	57.61	11	37	38
11	Maine	61.00	12	12	35
7	Kansas	64.61	13	13	15
6	Utah	64.81	14	26	6
31	New Jersey	52.85	15	41	48
21	Nevada	56.16	16	25	46
23	Maryland	55.60	17	42	30
30	District of Columbia	53.32	18	46	26
4	South Dakota	68.99	19	1	2
18	Rhode Island	57.48	20	23	29
17	North Carolina	57.52	21	28	25
42	Washington	49.31	22	50	13
29	Colorado	53.35	23	35	37
15	North Dakota	58.45	24	11	23
20	Minnesota	57.11	25	30	16
36	New Mexico	51.58	26	39	36
12	Mississippi	60.17	27	14	8
10	Idaho	61.63	28	10	3
27	Tennessee	54.29	29	18	32
9	Arkansas	62.11	30	3	9
49	Oregon	45.69	31	49	22
37	Texas	51.26	32	27	43
40	Illinois	49.95	33	36	41
19	Wisconsin	57.12	34	21	10
32	Ohio	52.67	35	19	33
26	Kentucky	54.92	36	17	24
24	South Carolina	55.45	37	20	14
34	Oklahoma	52.52	38	7	39
22	Missouri	56.12	39	4	21
46	Pennsylvania	47.42	40	40	40
45	Delaware	47.74	41	32	34
48	Louisiana	46.30	42	34	42
43	Arizona	49.22	43	38	19
38	Florida	50.23	44	29	20
39	Wyoming	50.09	45	5	31
33	Indiana	52.62	46	16	12
51	Michigan	38.28	47	47	44
47	Georgia	46.57	48	24	18
44	Montana	48.23	49	8	7
41	Alabama	49.31	50	22	1
50	West Virginia	41.17	51	15	11

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.