How is the Pacific Northwest affected by the federal government shutdown?

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The government shutdown is now in its third week with no immediate end in sight. This has led to roughly 900,000 federal employees being furloughed and nearly 700,000 working without pay.

Further, many agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Education, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have either slowed or paused operations.

But just how affected is the Pacific Northwest?

Not as much as other states, according to a recent study from WalletHub.

The personal finance site compared all 50 states and Washington, D.C. across five metrics, including federal jobs in each state, federal contract dollars per capita, national park access, percentage of families receiving SNAP benefits, as well as mortgage processing affected by staffing shortages at federal buildings.

With the higher rankings indicating most affected, Washington came in at #21 and Oregon at #28.

Oregon also ranked near the very bottom at #49 in federal contract dollars per capita, but made #5 in percentage of families receiving SNAP benefits.

Not so surprisingly, Washington D.C. is the most affected by the government shutdown, according to the study, as over 25% of their jobs involve the federal government. Additionally, D.C. holds the highest number of federal contract dollars per capita at over $50,000.

WalletHub’s states most/least affected by the federal government shutdown:

Most	Least
1. Washington, D.C.	42. Arkansas
2. Hawaii	43. North Dakota
3. New Mexico	44. Kansas
4. Alaska	45. New Jersey
5. Maryland	46. Wisconsin
6. Virginia	47. New Hampshire
7. West Virginia	48. Nebraska
8. Alabama	49. Indiana
9. Oklahoma	50. Iowa
10. Arizona	51. Minnesota

“The latest government shutdown makes life stressful for people across the U.S., but places like D.C. and Hawaii, where a high percentage of residents work directly for the government or have government contracts, are getting hit the hardest,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. “States with a lot of residents who receive SNAP benefits, such as New Mexico, also could be in a dire situation if money for this vital program runs out before the gridlock ends. Plus, states with real-estate dependent economies are suffering from federal delays in mortgage processing, and states with a lot of national parks may hurt their tourism and revenue by not being able to offer certain park services.”