WASHINGTON – The loss of salaries for federal workers will be felt hardest in Virginia, according to a new study by WalletHub.com, a personal finance social network.
Senior analyst John Kiernan says states with large numbers of veterans and senior citizens will be hit hardest if the shutdown goes on much longer. Virginia is among the states that have the most veterans per capita. A continued shutdown could mean lack of VA funding.
Also plaguing Virginia is the number of federal workers in addition to the large amount of federal contract money per capita, which means those who don’t technically work for the federal government stand to lose out as well, according to the data.
“It’s really a domino effect. You really can’t just look at it in terms of ‘Oh, federal worker are out of a jobs for a little while,'” says Kiernan.
The government shutdown could continue to delay mortgage closings, which will have a major impact on Maryland, a state that depends on real estate sales for a major part of its economy.
The survey ranked D.C. as the fourth hardest hit because of federal and contract workers. Maryland ranked sixth.
The report also indicates that 15 states carried by Republicans in the 2012 presidential election are in the top 25 at risk rankings.
Follow @WTOP on Twitter.
