What does California cost?

The Taxpayers Network is a collection of watchdog groups that provide statistical data and information about a wide range of issues. The network annually publishes a booklet titled 50 State Comparisons that assesses a variety of data about the states and ranks them accordingly. Below are some of the categories and California’s data and rankings, along with the U.S. averages in the same categories. Unless otherwise noted, dollar amounts are 2004 figures adjusted for inflation. We pay a lot more on average for housing but earn less than residents of many states. No surprise there. But did you know we rank near the bottom in government employees and dead last in federal pork?