Living in New Mexico (which nobody would consider part of the South), I have heard this phrase all my life. NM tends to rank near the bottom of positive state r

Living in New Mexico (which nobody would consider part of the South), I have heard this phrase all my life. NM tends to rank near the bottom of positive state rankings, and near the top of negative state rankings. E.g., two quotes from its Wikipedia page: > In 2021, the per capita personal income was slightly over $45,800, compared to $31,474 in 2007; it was the third lowest in the country after West Virginia and Mississippi. > Its poverty rate of roughly 18% is among the highest in the country, exceeded only by Louisiana and Mississippi.