Are Missourians really less well-audited...or just more law-abiding?

A recently published study by the Missouri State Auditor found that independent contractor misclassification audits performed by the state of Missouri identified just 0.1 misclassified workers per audit, well below the national average of 1.34.

This result comports with my own impression of Missourians, as polite law-abiding people in tidy neighborhoods, who would never fail to use their turn signal or curb their dog, let alone misclassify an independent contractor, an impression of upright behavior based entirely on the film "Meet Me in St. Louis."

At the other end of the spectrum is California, which averaged 4.82 misclassified workers identified per audit.  Inasmuch as I still live in this state, I cannot comment on how the character of Californians may come into play.

In any case, looking at the full spectrum of data, the truth actually appears to defy easy explanation, lending credence to the report's perception that Missouri's enforcement of independent contractor rules may simply be more lax than that of other states.

All that may change now that this handy state-by-state comparison has been published.  But meanwhile, those looking to know which states are the strictest enforcers of ic classification (and which the least) can find that information in the pdf below.