The Work Environment Index (WEI), rates working environments in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., in terms of average pay, employment opportunities, employee benefits, percentage of low-income workers, fair treatment between genders and ability for employees to unionize. It is the first index to evaluate worker climate as opposed to business climate on a state-by-state basis, and was developed by researchers at Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts. The WEI is included in PERI’s new study, Decent Work in America.
A major finding of the study is a consistent correspondence between the quality of a state’s environment for workers and its economic health. States ranking high on the list generally have faster economic growth and lower poverty rates, and conversely, states at the bottom of the list tend to have slower economic growth and higher poverty rates.
Delaware, New Hamshire and Minnesota are the top three states for worker climate. The lowest ranking states are found throughout the Sun Belt, or Bible Belt.
