🤔 California is Now the 4th Largest Economy in the World—But Where Do Other U.S. States Rank?

Key Takeaways

• California has passed Japan to become the 4th-largest economy in 2024, new data from the BEA reveals.
• Nine U.S. states feature in the world’s top 30 economies as measured by their 2024 GDP.

ℹ️ Data Note

The U.S. has been kept in as the largest economy to act as helpful context for this discussion. To remove it entirely would make China the largest economy, which may cause additional confusion.

🏖️ California Calling

Home of Big Tech and now ground zero of the AI revolution, California’s output is now larger than every other country, barring Germany, China, and of course the United States.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis’ newly published 2024 GDP figures has California at $4.1T, about $900 billion more than Japan’s $4.02T in 2024.

Of course the International Monetary Fund has 2025 predictive GDP figures, where Japan’s output is higher ($4.19T), but California’s comparative figures won’t be released for another year.