Strong Families and Prospering

            Families, communities, and nations are interdependent on each other. When communities and nations understand the importance of strong families, they will develop policies and procedures that will strengthen families.

            The Family Prosperity Index is an Index that measures prosperity a little differently than other national Indexes. Family Prosperity Initiative published its 2018 report this week, and the report shows how the Index measures prosperity by examining social factors as well as economic ones. The report begins with the following information.

Strong families are the foundation of healthy communities, upward economic mobility, and a robust civil society. American families aren’t flourishing the way they once were. But do we know why? …

To help provide a crystal clear [view] of human behavior in the states, economists Wendy Warcholik, Ph.D., and J. Scott Moody, M.A., have undertaken the Family Prosperity Initiative (FPI). The cornerstone of this project is the Family Prosperity Index, the first and only Index, which demonstrates quantitatively the link between economic and social well-being. Wendy and Scott work with state partners to identify those areas in their states where they are thriving and where they need to improve.

The FPI Index measures the strength and prosperity of families – and the nation – by combining the most important economic and social data into a single number and then ranking those states based on which states create the best environments for families to thrive….

            The FPI Index is a “tool” that leaders can use to decide which policies will benefit their state the most. By making helpful changes, states can restore their economies and help their families and communities to prosper.

            The 2018 Family Prosperity Index lists the top ten prospering state as follows: (1) Utah 7.37; (2) Idaho 6.28; (3) South Dakota 6.17; (4) Nebraska 6.01; (5) North Dakota 5.93;

(6) Colorado 5.80; (7) Texas 5.76; (8) Minnesota 5.76; (9) Wyoming 5.65; (10) Washington 5.60. Utah appears to have been #1 every year since 2012. When one looks at the above states on a map, one can readily notice that all of them are in the western half of the United States and only one of them is on the West Coast. In other words, they are located in “fly over” country.

            The bottom ten prospering states are: (41) Alaska 4.47; (42) Vermont 4.43; (43) Ohio 4.42; (44) Nevada 4.40; (45) Alabama 4.36; (46) Rhode Island 4.25; (47) Mississippi 4.16;

(48) Louisiana 3.95; (49) West Virginia 3.54; (50) New Mexico 3.35. A quick glance says that these states cover a much wider area. 

            The Index measures the following categories: Economics, Demographics, Family Self-Sufficiency, Family Structure, Family Culture, and Family Health. The report has many charts and graphs and measures numerous sub-areas. I found the report to be fascinating but would need much more time to study it in order to truly understand how the various states are ranked. I could see that strong families are the foundation upon which communities, states and nations can prosper.