According to a report, Tasmania has been rated as the best-performing state economy for the fifth quarter in a row, with the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) maintaining the second spot. CommSec’s State of States report (pdf) measures and analyses the economic performances for each state and territory over every quarter against the 10-year average, or “normal” performance, for eight key indicators. Western Australia (WA) moved up to the third place from sixth, its highest ranking in six years, on the back of a significant mining boom and jump in homebuilding. The indicators are economic growth, retail spending, equipment investment, unemployment, construction work, population growth, housing finance, and dwelling commencements. Tasmania and the ACT both lead on three different economic indicators, while Tasmania’s lowest ranking in the other indicators was third. “Tasmania and the ACT have firmly held their positions at the top of the performance rankings due to above-average population growth …