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The following article is provided by the Caesar Rodney Institute, a Delaware-based nonprofit 501(c)(3) public policy research organization.

It comes from a Policy Center Director who works to help Delawareans by providing fact-based analysis in four key areas:

education, energy and environmental policy, the economy and government spending, and health policy.

Delaware State of the State Report 2012: By the numbers

Updated: Dec 3

Following are the changes in various state of Delaware performance measures since Governor Markell took office. Where possible the data is from January of 2009 through November of 2011. Otherwise the data compares the year 2008 to 2010.   THE ECONOMY   Employment                        -3.6% (- 15,100 jobs)       Unemployment Rate                     0.6 percentage points                         Total persons unemployed                     1,607 people                 Initial weekly unemployment claims            Persons in labor force                   -13,090   New hires                     -2,826       Individual poverty rate                        1.0 percentage points (10,176 people)           Real per capita income            -2.3%       Inflation rate                      3.0 percentage points             Real output per capita                       1.6%   Housing starts                       -7.9% Net migration into Delaware                     -33.3%         EDUCATION       10th graders meeting or exceeding reading standard                      -8.8%   10th graders meeting or exceeding math standard                      -1.9%       11th graders meeting or exceeding science standard                    -6.3%   Average SAT score                    -2.2%     STATE GOVERNMENT       Real per capita general and special fund revenue           -6.6%       Real per capita general and special fund disbursements                  -8.1%       Real debt per capita                      6.9%       Debt as a % of Delaware personal income                   0.5 percentage points   % of pension liability funded                        -9.0 percentage points        Total unfunded retiree health benefit liability                      now $5.7 billion       Cigarette and tobacco products tax   Corporate franchise tax       Estate tax      Gross receipts tax       Limited partnership tax       Personal income tax       Public utility tax       State share of video lottery     MISCELLANEOUS       CNBC ranking on cost of doing business       CNBC ranking on access to capital       CNBC ranking on quality of life       Violent crime rate                     -11.7%       Commercial electric rate              -5.9%     Given the numbers it seems unlikely that Governor Markell will emphasize measures of economic and public education performance in his upcoming state of the state address. He is more likely to focus on increase inputs (e.g., more Federal money for public education), cuts in state spending, anecdotes (e.g., friendship with the state chamber), and promises of great things to come (e.g., Fisker Automotive).   Dr. John E. Stapleford, Director Center for Economic Policy and Analysis


 
 
 

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About the Caesar Rodney Institute
The Caesar Rodney Institute (CRI) is a Delaware-based, nonprofit 501(c)(3) research organization. As a nonpartisan public policy think tank, CRI provides fact-based analysis in four key areas: education, energy and environmental policy, the economy and government spending, and health policy.

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Our mission is to educate and inform Delawareans-including citizens, legislators, and community leaders-on issues that affect quality of life and opportunity.

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