The chart above shows the per capita annualized nominal gross domestic product (GDP) in each US region as of the first quarter of 2021 in dollars, the change from the previous quarter, and the per capita GDP one year prior. Every single region's economy grew over the past quarter and over the past year.
Findings
- The difference between the region with the largest per capita GDP, the West, and the region with the smallest, the South, is $17,289.83 (up from $17,097.94 last quarter and down from $17,386.86 last year). The West had the largest per capita GDP last quarter and the Northeast had the largest per capita GDP last year. The South had the smallest per capita GDP last quarter and the smallest per capita GDP last year.
- The West has 1.27 times the per capita GDP that the South does. The ratio of largest per capita GDP to smallest per capita GDP was down from 1.28 from last quarter and down from 1.28 last year.
- Of the four regions, 4 saw a rise in per capita GDP in current dollars from the previous quarter while 0 saw a contraction.
- Of the four regions, 4 saw a rise in per capita GDP in current dollars from last year while 0 saw a contraction.
Caveats
- GDP data is from the first quarter of 2020, the fourth quarter of 2020, and the first quarter of 2021.
- Census data is from 2010.
- The data is seasonally adjusted in current dollars.
- Growth rates may differ from those provided by the Bureau of Economic Analysis as the BEA's growth rates are based on chained dollars in conjunction with the chain index or the quality index for real GDP.
- All figures are rounded to the nearest hundredth.
- The Midwestern US consists of Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
- The Northeastern US consists of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Delaware, Maine, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
- The Southern US consists of Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Louisiana, South Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, and West Virginia.
- The Western US consists of California, Washington, Colorado, Arizona, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Hawaii, Idaho, Alaska, Montana, and Wyoming.
Details
In absolute terms, the Northeast had the worst performance over the previous quarter with a rise of $1,714.87. The West had the best performance with a rise of $1,988.75. Year over year, the Northeast had the worst performance with a rise of $575.45 while the South had the best performance with a rise of $1,890.77.
In relative terms, the Northeast had the worst performance over the previous quarter with a 2.21% rise in per capita GDP while the South had the best performance with a 2.93% rise in per capita GDP. Year over year, the Northeast had the worst performance with a 0.73% rise in per capita GDP while the South had the best performance with a 3.08% rise in per capita GDP.
The Midwest has the smallest range in per capita GDP with a low of $54,895.38 in Michigan to a high of $87,388.92 in North Dakota. The West has the greatest range with a low of $51,661.41 in New Mexico to a high of $96,825.55 in Washington.
The West has a per capita GDP that is higher than all Southern states and all but one Midwestern state and is bested by eight states in total. The South has a per capita GDP that is lower than more than half the states in the country besting 22 out of 50 states (10 of which are in the South).
Sources
US Bureau of Economic Analysis. 2021. "GDP by State." Accessed July 20, 2021. https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-state.
United States Census Bureau. September 2012. "United States Summary: 2010: Population and Housing Unit Counts." Accessed January 23, 2018. https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-1.pdf.