Tax hike pushes Illinois near top of state economy ranking: report ...

(Crain's) ? Illinois' financial health, goosed by a corporate tax-rate hike, helped boost its ranking on a list evaluating U.S. state economies.

Illinois came in at No. 6 on the Bloomberg Economic Evaluation of States, which measures how states perform from quarter to quarter. The fourth-quarter report found that 34 states posted economic improvements in the final three months of last year.

North Dakota, with its boom in oil and natural gas production, topped the fourth-quarter list, according to a Bloomberg News report.

The ranking is based on a composite score of home prices, delinquent mortgages, personal income, taxes and the performance of local stocks. States showing gains in any of those areas will rise in the rankings, Bloomberg said.

Illinois ranked high in terms of tax revenue (4th), but low for home prices (41st), performance of local stocks (39th) and personal income (34th). It was 19th in the nation for delinquent mortgages and 28th for its employment rate.

The top 10:

1. North Dakota

2. West Virginia

3. Nevada

4. Oklahoma

5. Michigan

6. Illinois

7. Idaho

8. Minnesota

9. Ohio

10. Florida

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