The chart above shows the annualized nominal gross domestic product (GDP) quarterly growth rate in each US state as of the fourth quarter of 2019 and the growth rate from one year prior. West Virginia is the only state to see an economic contraction over the same quarter last year.
Findings
- The difference between the states with the largest annualized quarterly growth rate, Texas and Utah, and the state with the smallest, West Virginia, is 3.44 percentage points.
- The difference between the state with the largest year-over-year growth rate, Utah, and the state with the smallest, West Virginia, is 6.29 percentage points.
- The median annualized quarterly growth rate in the 50 US states is 3.40% and the mean 3.29%.
- The median year-over-year growth rate in the 50 US states is 3.78% and the mean 3.56%.
- Eighteen states' economies grew faster over the previous quarter than they did over the same quarter last year. Zero states grew at the same rate over both time periods. The remaining 32 states saw their economies grow slower over the previous quarter than they did over the same quarter last year.
Caveats
- Data is from the fourth quarter of 2019, the third quarter of 2019, and the fourth quarter of 2018.
- 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.
Details
Wyoming had the smallest increase over the previous quarter with an annualized gain of 1.20%. Texas and Utah had the largest growth with an annualized gain of 4.64%.
Year over year, West Virginia had the largest contraction with a 0.33% drop in GDP while Utah had the largest growth with a 5.96% rise in GDP.
New Hampshire saw the largest decrease in its growth rate between its year-over-year growth and its annualized quarterly growth slowing its rate by 2.52 percentage points. Alaska had the largest increase in its growth rate between its year-over-year growth and its annualized quarterly growth ramping up its rate by 2.06 percentage points.
Kentucky (from 38th largest growth rate over the same quarter last year to the 11th largest growth rate over the previous quarter) and Montana (from 39th to 12th) each surpassed 27 states. Conversely, New Hampshire (from 3rd to 36th) was bested by 33 states. Only three states had growth rates in the top five both over the same quarter last year and over the previous quarter: Utah (highest growth year-over year, highest growth over the previous quarter), Washington (2nd highest year-over-year, 3rd highest quarterly), and Arizona (5th highest year-over-year, 4th highest quarterly). Four states had growth rates in the bottom five both over the same quarter last year and over the previous quarter: Oklahoma (47th highest year-over-year, 45th highest quarterly), North Dakota (46th highest year-over-year, 47th highest quarterly), Wyoming (48th highest year-over-year, 49th highest quarterly), and West Virginia (50th highest year-over-year, 50th highest quarterly).
Sources
US Bureau of Economic Analysis. 2020. "GDP by State." Accessed April 21, 2020. https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-state.