In the first quarter of 2026, real gross domestic product increased in 47 of 50 states, with Washington leading at 4.5 percent annualized growth and South Dakota contracting by 1.6 percent. The national growth rate was 2.1 percent, a sharp acceleration from 0.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025. This article examines state-level GDP trends, rankings, and the factors behind the uneven recovery.
The unemployment rate and unemployment insurance claims are both key labor market indicators, but they measure different things. The unemployment rate is a broad survey-based estimate of all jobless people actively seeking work, while UI claims are administrative counts of people applying for or receiving unemployment benefits. In 2026, low UI claims have masked a more challenging experience for the long-term unemployed, as fewer people enter the rolls but those who do stay longer and increasingly exhaust benefits.
California alone accounts for about 14.5% of U.S. GDP, and the four largest state economies—California, Texas, New York, and Florida—together generate more than 37% of national output. Most states contribute between 1% and 2% of GDP, while many smaller states contribute less than 0.5%. The U.S. economy now exceeds $30 trillion in nominal terms, with state-level growth varying widely from quarter to quarter.
A dollar’s purchasing power varies widely by state. Adjusting median household income for regional price parities shows states like West Virginia, Mississippi, and Arkansas gain the most, while the District of Columbia, New York, and New Jersey lose the most. The national median household income is $80,610 at an RPP baseline of 100.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) shows 7.4 million job openings nationally in June 2026, with 5.3 million hires and 3.2 million quits. State-level data through December 2025 and the new annual 2025 estimates reveal significant variation in labor demand and worker mobility across states. California leads the state table by job openings, while private education and health services leads the national industry table.
In 2025, New Jersey had the highest housing unit density among U.S. states at roughly 439 units per square mile, while Alaska, Wyoming, and Montana remained below 4 units per square mile. The national average was about 39 housing units per square mile, but state densities varied widely due to land area, urbanization, and historical settlement patterns.
Net international migration fell in every U.S. state and the District of Columbia between 2024 and 2025, slowing national population growth to 0.5%—the slowest since the COVID-19 pandemic. Although all states still recorded positive net international migration, the broad decline reduced the demographic contribution of immigration across the country.
U.S. real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 1.5 percent in the second quarter of 2026, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. That follows a 2.1 percent gain in Q1 2026 and marks a deceleration from the 4.4 percent pace in Q3 2025. The latest estimate shows consumer spending, exports, and investment contributing to growth, while government spending declined and imports rose.
The U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimates show population growth slowed in a majority of the nation’s 3,143 counties and the District of Columbia between July 2024 and July 2025. Nearly 8 in 10 counties that grew the prior year saw growth slow or reverse, and 310 of 387 metro areas decelerated. Rural America grew for a fifth straight year only because 168,000 net in-migrants offset natural decrease, while about half of rural counties lost population.
In 2025, the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area led the United States with an estimated GDP of $2.189 trillion, followed by Los Angeles ($1.078 trillion) and Chicago ($760 billion). The top 10 metro areas generate about 42.8% of U.S. GDP while holding only 28.4% of the population. This article ranks the largest U.S. metropolitan economies and explains the data, methodology, and implications.