Thursday, February 3, 2011

Did You Know (or Care): A comparison among the U.S. & the rest

Although differing slightly from World Bank estimates, the 2009 edition of the CIA World Fact Book, per the International Monetary Fund, lists the United States GDP (Gross Domestic Product: market value of all goods and services) at just over $14.6 trillion, which is surpassed only by the combined $15.9 trillion GDP of the 27-nation European Union.  Yet perhaps most interesting is how individual American States stack up against the rest of the world.

California, for instance, with a statewide GDP of over $1.9 trillion, would be the ninth-ranked economy in the world -- nestled on the list between Italy and Brazil -- if it stood as an individual nation.  You've probably heard that somewhere before.  However you likely didn't know that Texas and New York, with GDPs around $1.1 trillion each, rank 15th and 16th respectively, ahead of Mexico and South Korea, and just behind Spain and Australia.

Other States in the international top 50 include Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Michigan, Massachusetts, Washington, Maryland and Indiana, each of whom boast of GDPs anywhere between $265-735 billion.  With GDP's ranging from $245-263 billion, Minnesota, Arizona, Colorado, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Missouri just missed the top 50.  Yet they ranked well ahead of international powers such as Finland, Portugal, Ireland, Israel and the Czech Republic, among many dozens of others.

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