The ACT has the nation's strongest growth in real wages according to a study to be published on Monday.
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The territory also rates highly in dwelling starts but is marked down for unemployment in the CommSec State of the States April report.
It analyses eight key indicators to give a report card on how the states and territories are performing.
For each state and territory, the latest readings for the key indicators were compared with decade averages, that is, against the ''normal'' performance, the authors say.
Western Australia remains Australia's best performing economy, ahead of the Northern Territory.
''Both economies are likely to hold their top positions over 2013,'' the report says. ''Western Australia leads the way on retail trade, population growth, and equipment investment.
''It is second strongest on economic growth, construction work done and housing finance, third on unemployment and finished fifth on dwelling starts.
''The Northern Territory actually finished on top on four indicators: economic growth, unemployment, dwelling starts and construction work done and was second strongest on retail trade.
''The ACT economy remains third with the main strengths being dwelling starts and population growth but the territory is weakest on unemployment with the current jobless rate [further] away from 'normal' (decade average) than other economies.
''While the ACT is third strongest, it is only modestly ahead of the three largest states: NSW, Victoria and Queensland.
''There is then a widening gap in the rankings to South Australia … Tasmania remains locked at the bottom of the Australian economic performance table.''
While the ACT retains third spot, the report says the territory has ''largely rejoined'' the grouping of NSW, Victoria and Queensland.
CommSec says real wages were positive in all economies in the December quarter.
''Strongest growth occurred in the ACT - 2.6 percentage points,'' it says.
The report says the trend jobless rate in the ACT of 4.5 per cent is lower than all economies except the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
''But compared with its 'normal' or decade-average rate of 3.4 per cent, the jobless rate is actually higher in percentage terms than all other economies, affecting activity in the retail sector.
''In the ACT the trend jobless rate is low at 4.5 per cent, but unemployment has lifted from 3.5 per cent over the past year and is now 32 per cent above the 'normal' level or decade-average of 3.4 per cent.'' Construction work is up 52.1 per cent in the ACT, with all states and territories recording higher than decade averages.
Western Australia is the clear leader in population growth, while next strongest is the ACT.
The ACT remains in third spot on housing finance, down 8.1 per cent on the decade average.
CommSec says the outlook for housing construction has improved.
The Northern Territory is in the strongest position for new housing construction. ''In second spot was the ACT with starts almost 24 per cent above decade averages. But new construction is clearly off the boil with starts in the quarter down 14.1 per cent on a year ago,'' the report says.
''Home prices are now higher than a year ago in all but Hobart, with home prices in the ACT 3.4 per cent higher.
''Increasingly Australia's state and territories appear to be breaking into three distinct groups,'' the report says. ''The key mining economies of Western Australia and the Northern Territory are … firmly fixed at the top of the economic leader-board. ''While the ACT is in third spot, weaker job and housing markets are weighing on economic performance, bringing the territory in line with the three largest states, NSW, Victoria and Queensland.''