Gavin Newsom vs. Ron DeSantis: Who has the more appealing state?

People are happier in California. But Florida’s more affordable.

California’s a better place to raise a family. Florida’s got a better job outlook.

And so on.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have been brawling for months over which state has more to offer in terms of opportunity, livability and safety.

Now they’re now angling to debate each other with conservative commentator Sean Hannity moderating. There’s a big disagreement on the format — not uncommon when two political gladiators agree to meet — but both Newsom and DeSantis said in recent days they were close to a deal.

“We’re going to do it. It’s going to be fun,” DeSantis told Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity last week.

DeSantis is running for the Republican presidential nomination. Newsom says he’s not seeking the Democratic nomination this or any other year, but is taking the steps that would allow him to seamlessly enter the race.

If they stick to their usual talking points, they’ll engage in a metrics death match where each governor slings their favorite statistics to illustrate how the other guy’s state is a dystopian nightmare while theirs is paradise.

There’s no easy or widely accepted way to say which state is the most attractive.

“The biggest difference between California and Florida is affordability,” said Jill Gonzalez, analyst at WalletHub, a financial services firm that surveys economists and uses a series of metrics to rank states in a variety of ways.

She stressed that while “Florida does better than California in most of the…categories, there are other things to consider when choosing a state to live in, such as climate or recreational activities.”

Best State to live in is...

One of WalletHub’s broadest measurements is its “best states to live in” survey. It considers five factors: Affordability, economy, education and health, quality of life, and safety.

Florida ranked sixth in the data released last month. California was 24th.

Florida did particularly well for its economy and quality of life. California was last in affordability but topped Florida for quality of life.

There’s plenty there to bolster a Newsom argument.

His state ranked second for quality of life, which takes in weather, restaurants, bars, bike trails and commute times. Florida came in fifth.

In assessing the best place for families to live, WalletHub ranked California 22nd. Florida was 32nd.

California was boosted by being the top place for family fun, though it was 45th in education and child care.

There’s also plenty for DeSantis to brag about.

Florida has done better than California for two key reasons, said Sean Snaith, director of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Economic Forecasting in Orlando.

Because the state ended its Covid-related restrictions sooner, Florida’s economy has had a longer time to recover, he said. And Florida’s population grew faster on a percentage basis than any other state last year, while California lost people.

DeSantis boasted on Sean Hannity’s Fox News Channel show last week that California’s “policies aren’t working. They’re driving people away from California.”

He recalled that growing up in Florida, “I never saw California license plates. All of a sudden, I’m governor. We see all these California license plates in my state. “

The Census Bureau found that in 2021, the latest year for available data, about 13,000 more people moved from California to Florida than went from Florida to California..

Newsom’s staff cites a University of Minnesota study showing about 90 per 100,000 Californians moved to Florida in 2021, while about 123 per 100,000 Florida residents moved to California

California vs. Florida

DeSantis and Newsom each have their favorite yardsticks, so here are some claims to watch for:

▪ The economy. Newsom boasts that California’s economy grew 7.8% in 2021 as it recovered from the COVID pandemic. Florida’s grew 6.9%.

But since then, Florida has grown faster. In the first quarter of this year, the latest data available, Florida’s economy grew 3.5% while California was up 1.2%.

▪ Jobs. California’s unemployment rate has been above the national average for some time, in large part due to slumps in tourism that affect leisure and hospitality jobs. More recently, there have been fewer tech and manufacturing jobs.

The state’s July jobless rate was still a healthy 4.6%. But the national average was 3.5% and Florida’s unemployment rate that month was 2.7%.

▪ Population. Critics love to point out that people are leaving California like rarely before. Last year, Florida was the nation’s fastest growing state by percentage with a population increase of 1.9% to 22.2 million people, the Census Bureau reported.

California’s population dropped 0.3%, the nation’s 10th worst showing last year by percentage. The state lost 113,649 people, second in numbers only to New York.

▪ Safety . California had nine firearm-related deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, among the lowest rates in the nation. Florida had 14.1 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the federal National Center for Health Statistics.

WalletHub did a broader look at safety, using workplace, road as well as personal and residential safety. Florida ranked 44th, California, 27th.

Florida ranked low in workplace and road safety, but higher than California in personal and residential safety.

▪ Business climate. The Tax Foundation ranked California 48th in business climate this year, ahead of only New York and New Jersey. Florida ranked fourth, trailing only Wyoming, South Dakota and Alaska..

The chief reason California is so low is its sales, income and corporate taxes. Florida has no state income tax, while California’s top rate, for those with taxable income of more than $1 million, is 13.3%.

The Tax Foundation, which leans conservative, said California is a state “where the tax base is found to cause an unnecessary drag on economic activity.”

▪ Happiness. Maybe this is the only metric that matters. WalletHub found last week that Californians rank seventh in overall happiness. Florida ranked eighth. People are happiest in Utah and least ebullient in West Virginia.

The ranking is based on 30 different metrics, including emotional and physical well-being, the physical environment and work environment., as well as the state’s volunteer rate, weather, average leisure time, separation and divorce rates and safety.