This research considers whether Californians are better off than the rest of the country as a whole.
One of the most common statistics used to measure the economy is the real gross domestic product (real GDP). The following chart illustrates that the national real GDP has been increasing over the past six quarters, which means that the American economy is producing more goods and services in each successive quarter; the data presented in this graph is compiled by the federal government (Table 1.2, 2001, p. 1):
Although real GPD is increasing (although the rate of increase is slowing), the national unemployment picture is not as optimistic. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), unemployment reached the 4.9 percent level in September 2001, compared to an annual rate of 4.0 percent for 2000 (Latest Numbers, 2001, p. 1). This 4.9 percent level (the same level was reached in August 2001) is the highest unemployment figure since 1997 (Labor Force Statistics, 2001, p. 1).
The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) technique used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other law enforcement agencies to collect crime statistics has developed the Crime Index as a way to compare criminal activity across the country and over time. The crime index includes murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft. In 2000 (the most recent year for which figures are available), violent crime increased by a small (0.1 percent) amount across the nation as a whole. Property crimes did not increase or decrease from 1999 to 2000. In the West (including California), the crime index increased by 1.1 percent, indicating that Westerners saw greater crime than other Americans. Those in the Northeast (including New York) saw an overall decrease in violent crime of 2.4 percent and a decline of 1.1 percent was seen in the Midwest. However, while the crime index increased in the West, mur...