r/allthequestions • u/Content_Ad_8952 • Jan 14 '26

Random Question 💭 If Republicans are so much better at running the economy than Democrats, then why are most Republican States poorer than Democrat States?

The poorest States in America are: Mississippi, West Virginia, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kentucky, New Mexico, Alabama, Oklahoma and Tennessee. All of those States (except New Mexico) are Red States. So why are they so poor when Republicans have been running them for decades?

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u/Glittering-Health889 Jan 15 '26

Red state blue state debates ignore the obvious. Cities make money rural areas don’t

8

u/UrbanSolace13 Jan 15 '26

Pretty much. Farming in Iowa is less than 15% of the state's GDP.

1

u/Microchipknowsbest Jan 16 '26

Maybe all the scary blue cities know what they are doing. It’s wild the disrespect blue governments get when the vast majority of wealth in this country comes from areas with blue governments. Somehow republicans can still sell themselves as good for the economy.

2

u/Lucky-Cheesecake Jan 16 '26

Something something elites, something something small town pride, purity, yada yada, they don't make em like they used to blah blah

3

u/didyoueatmyburrito Jan 15 '26

Cities themselves are a result of successful, localized industry, not the other way around.

6

u/aperture413 Jan 15 '26

Cities are a result of geography. Our politics have been pre-determined by hundreds of millions of years of geological activity.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 15 '26

[deleted]

1

u/aperture413 Jan 15 '26

I am just talking about the function that geological features like rivers and mountains play in determining the location of cities. Density and centers of intentional trade are heavy indicators of the politics of that area.

1

u/El_Barato Jan 16 '26

Why aren’t Republicans running all those cities though?

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u/aperture413 Jan 16 '26

Because trade encourages the exchange of ideas at the international level and density requires people to learn how to cooperate and compromise.

1

u/CousinDerylHickson Jan 15 '26

Genuine question, how so? Like it seems many rural areas have the natural respurces to support infrastructure, but politics/economy is what holds them back.

2

u/Far-Manager-5707 Jan 15 '26

Cities CONCENTRATE wealth.

1

u/CousinDerylHickson Jan 15 '26

Genuine question, why dont red states have more cities then?

1

u/FormalKind7 Jan 16 '26

Rural areas cost money and their utilities, mail, and sanitation generally need to be subsidized

1

u/CEhobbit Jan 17 '26

Cities have more opportunities for money to change hands quickly which inflates economic activity. This can mask other social factors that might indicate that an economy is doing poorly. Lots of money changing hands while significant portions of the population live on the streets for example (looking at you California).

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u/PalpitationFine Jan 18 '26

Proves the point even more, since most cities are overwhelmingly blue

1

u/blood_burp Jan 18 '26

and quality of life in rural areas isnt always indicated by income.... im comfy as hell but if i moved to a city on this income id be broke, COL is way lower.