A Comparison and Contrast between California, Hawaii, Florida, New York and New Jersey

This paper compares and contrasts California, Hawaii, Florida, New York and New Jersey based on various economic measures such as GDP, population, CPI, labor force, per capita income, unemployment rate, homeownership rates and more.

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A Comparison and Contrast between California, Hawaii, Florida, New York and New Jersey
Introduction
The United States of America is one of the most diverse nations of the world. Notably,
the nation boasts as the home to 50 different states. In this paper, California, Florida, New York,
Hawaii and New Jersey shall be compared and contrasted with respect to various economic
measures. In a nutshell, the main economic measures include the Gross State product each state,
size of population, Consumer Price Index, labor force, Per Capita Income, unemployment rate,
and homeownership rates among others.
Analysis
Population size
Firstly, it is worth pointing out that the five states have different population. Specifically,
California is the most populous with a population of approximately 39.8 million people (US
Spending). The second most populated state is Florida at 21.3 million followed by New York at
19.9 million residents. On the other hand, New Jersey and Hawaii have the least population rates
at 9 million and 1.4 million respectively (US Spending).
GDP Size

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Just like these states differ in the size of their population, there are also disparities in the
size of their Gross State Products. Particularly, California has the largest GDP estimated at
$2,845.40 billion followed by New York at $1693.5 billion. The third largest state by GDP is
Florida with $1017.2 billion followed by New Jersey with a GDP of $626.40billion (US
Spending). Lastly, Hawaii has the smallest GDP estimated at 91.4 billion (US Spending).
Labor Force
It is noteworthy that the states have different labour force sizes. Particularly, California
has a significantly larger labour force than the rest of the states estimated at 19.3 million (Bureau
of Labour Statistics). The second largest labor force is found in Florida at 10.1 million people.
New York, New Jersey and Hawaii have smaller labor forces estimated at 9.6, 4.48 and 0.68
million in that order.
Per Capita Income
Apart from the disparities in population and GDP size, the five states also have different
Per Capita Income. Characteristically, New York has the highest per capita income level
followed by Florida, Hawaii, New Jersey and California respectively (Bureau of Labor
Statistics). At this point, one may argue that the per capita income in California is the lowest due
to the fact the state has the highest population size and, an equally high rate of unemployment.
Unemployment rate
Furthermore, the five states have different levels of unemployment rates. At the moment,
New Jersey has the highest level of unemployment that is estimated at 5 percent followed by
New York at 4.60 percent. The joblessness rate in California is 4.30 percent. Florida and Hawaii

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have low joblessness rates estimated at 3.7 and 2 percent respectively (Bureau of Labor
Statistics).
Consumer Price Index levels
Further, it is worth pointing out that the various states have different price index levels.
Currently, the most expensive state to live in is Hawaii because it has a CPI Index estimated at
273.2. It is followed by New York and New Jersey at 269, then California at 265.6. Thus, as of
now the cheapest state to live in is Florida which has a CPI Index of 246.5 (Bureau of Labor
Statistics).
People below Poverty Line
What is more, the states have different levels of individuals who live below the poverty
line. Predominantly, Florida has the highest number of individuals who live below the poverty
index, followed by California. With regard to the other four states, New York is ranked as the
third state with the highest number of individuals below the poverty line, followed by New
Jersey and Hawaii respectively (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Top 3 Occupations with Most Employees
Outstandingly, the popularity of various occupations across the five states is almost
similar. Specifically, occupations such as retail sales, cashiers and office clerks are among the
most popular jobs in the five states and, as a result, have the highest number of employees
working in them (Kolmar). For instance, the position of retail salespersons is the topmost
populous occupation across all the five states.
Top 3 Most Paying Occupations

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In the same manner, the top 3 paying jobs among these states revolve around specialists
in the field of medicine and top chief executive positions (Kolmar). Regardless, the average
yearly salaries differ from one state to another. Conspicuously, specialists in New York receive a
significantly higher annual salary compared to their counterparts in the other states (USA Wage).
Median House Prices
Additionally, there are significant disparities in the median home prices as well as
homeownership rates among these states. Predominantly, Hawaii has the highest median house
price while Florida has the lowest (Zillow).
Home ownership rates
In the same regard, Florida has one the highest homeownership rates among the first state
after New Jersey (Zillow). In contrast, New York has the lowest homeownership rates estimated
at 50.70 percent, after California and Hawaii at 53.80 percent and 53.70 percent respectively
(Kiersz).
Percentage of people over 25 years with a bachelor’s degree and above
According to statistics, the residents of Hawaii, California, Florida, New Jersey and New
York have different levels of education and access to internet connection. By and large, New
Jersey has the highest number of individuals above 25 years with a bachelor’s degree or higher at
36.8 percent. This is followed by New York and California at 34.2 and 31.4 percent respectively.
On the other hand, Florida and Hawaii have the lowest number of individuals with a bachelor
degree estimated at 27.30 and 10.50 percent in that order.

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Internet Connectivity
With respect to internet connectivity, households in Hawaii have the highest connectivity
estimated at 95.5 percent followed by New York at 83 percent (Governing). Notably,
connectivity level in California, Florida, and NJ is estimated at 82, 79 and 74 percent
respectively (Governing).
Percentage of Uninsured Households
On matters pertaining to health, the five states also exhibit significant disparities. In
particular, Florida has the largest percentage of households which are not insured at 15 percent.
It is followed by California and New York at 12 percent, New Jersey at 9 percent and Hawaii at
5 percent (United States Census Bureau).
Violent crime rates
It is worth noting that the level of insecurity among the five states is relatively low
compared to the national average. Regardless, the level of security varies from one state to
another. In particular, California is the most insecure with the violent crime rate at 445 per every
100,000 inhabitants (World Atlas). Of the five states, New Jersey has the lowest violent crime
rates at 245 per every 100000 inhabitants (World Atlas).
Conclusion and Decision
Everything taken into consideration, Florida is the best state to live and work in.
Predominantly, this view is informed by various economic factors among them the per capita
income, employment rate, housing prices, homeownership rates, price levels and security.
Compared to the other four states, Florida has a moderate CPI level, as well as a low medium

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house price. For this reason, living in Australia is relatively cheaper than other states. In the same
manner, the violent crime rate per a thousand inhabitants is relatively low compared to the
national average and, therefore, it is a safe city. Furthermore, the state has above average
compensation rates for various job descriptions, making it lucrative to employees. Besides, the
unemployment rate is relatively lower than other states, making it easier to secure employment
opportunities. For this reason, Florida is the best state to inhabit.

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Works Cited
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Spending, https://www.usgovernmentspending.com/gdp_by_state. Accessed 3 February 2018.
“Consumer Price Index, Honolulu – Second Half 2017,” 2017. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
https://www.bls.gov/regions/west/news-release/consumerpriceindex_honolulu.html. Accessed 3
February 2018.
“Hawaii Home Prices & Values.” Zillow, https://www.zillow.com/hi/home-values/. Accessed 3
February 2018.
“Internet Connection Data for Cities,” 2017. Governing,
http://www.governing.com/gov-data/city-internet-connection-household-adoption-rates-
data.html. Accessed 3 February 2018.
“Table 1. Civilian labor force and unemployment by state and metropolitan area,” 2017. Bureau
of Labor statistic, https://www.bls.gov/news.release/metro.t01.htm. Accessed 3 February 2018.
“The Most Dangerous States in the United States,” 2018. World Atlas,
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-most-dangerous-states-in-the-u-s.html. Accessed 3
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“Top 200 Popular Jobs in California,” 2017. USA Wage, http://www.usawage.com/popular/jobs-
state-california.php. Accessed 3 February 2018.
“Top 200 Popular Jobs in New York,” 2017. USA Wage, http://www.usawage.com/popular/jobs-
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