{"id":715159,"date":"2026-06-04T19:39:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T19:39:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/715159\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T19:39:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T19:39:13","slug":"every-us-state-and-washington-dc-ranked-by-their-economies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/715159\/","title":{"rendered":"Every US State and Washington, DC, Ranked by Their Economies"},"content":{"rendered":"

California’s economy is the fourth largest<\/a> in the world, having passed Japan’s last year and trailing only the US, China, and Germany in terms of GDP.<\/p>\n

But GDP metrics don’t always tell the full story of what conditions are like for the people and businesses located there.<\/p>\n

A recent WalletHub study<\/a> ranked all US states and Washington, DC, on their economies by evaluating their performance in 28 different economic indicators. These metrics made up three overall categories: economic activity, economic health, and innovation potential.<\/p>\n

Economic activity was measured by factors including the state’s change in GDP from 2024 to 2025, its share of fast-growing companies, and exports per capita. Economic health included the state’s unemployment rate, foreclosure rate, and fiscal health. Innovation potential was measured by the share of jobs in high-tech industries, entrepreneurial activity, and other indicators.<\/p>\n

WalletHub then calculated each state’s weighted average across the three dimensions, which provided the basis for its overall ranking. The study drew on data from a range of sources, including the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Bureau of Economic Analysis.<\/p>\n

While the study doesn’t paint the full picture of the economic conditions for residents, it may indicate the states where workers might have more job opportunities and where businesses have strong growth potential. WalletHub added that its analysis also shows “which states are pulling the most weight in moving the US economy forward.”<\/p>\n

“A strong state economy doesn’t guarantee success for the state’s residents, but it certainly makes financial success more attainable,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the study.<\/p>\n

Here’s the list of every US state and Washington, DC, ranked by their economies, from worst to best.<\/p>\n

51. West Virginia<\/p>\n

\"Wheeling,<\/p>\n

Wheeling, West Virginia.<\/p>\n

aceshot1\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 51<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 30<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 51<\/p>\n

50. Kentucky<\/p>\n

\"Louisville,<\/p>\n

Louisville, Kentucky.<\/p>\n

Alexey Stiop\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 43<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 38<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 50<\/p>\n

49. Louisiana<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

New Orleans, Louisiana.<\/p>\n

Dennis MacDonald\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 37<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 48<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 47<\/p>\n

48. Maine<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Portland, Maine.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 50<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 25<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 41<\/p>\n

47. Rhode Island<\/p>\n

\"Providence,<\/p>\n

Providence, Rhode Island.<\/p>\n

Mihai_Andritoiu\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 49<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 35<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 31<\/p>\n

46. Wyoming<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Casper, Wyoming.<\/p>\n

Jacob Boomsma\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 46<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 20<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 44<\/p>\n

45. Mississippi<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Jackson, Mississippi.<\/p>\n

Dennis MacDonald\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 34<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 32<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 45<\/p>\n

44. Hawaii<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Honolulu, Hawaii.<\/p>\n

Steve Heap\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 30<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 14<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 49<\/p>\n

43. Oklahoma<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.<\/p>\n

Rudy Balasko\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 39<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 23<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 40<\/p>\n

42. Missouri<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

St. Louis, Missouri.<\/p>\n

FilmRAW\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 44<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 33<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 32<\/p>\n

41. South Dakota<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Sioux Falls, South Dakota.<\/p>\n

Jacob Boomsma\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 47<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 1<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 48<\/p>\n

40. North Dakota<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Fargo, North Dakota.<\/p>\n

Jacob Boomsma\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 48<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 5<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 38<\/p>\n

39. Iowa<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Des Moines, Iowa.<\/p>\n

Nick Fox\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 45<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 29<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 28<\/p>\n

38. Ohio<\/p>\n

\"Bridge<\/p>\n

Cleveland, Ohio.<\/p>\n

f11photo\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 32<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 44<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 33<\/p>\n

37. Illinois<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Chicago, Illinois.<\/p>\n

Terelyuk\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 27<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 50<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 26<\/p>\n

36. Arkansas<\/p>\n

\"Bridge<\/p>\n

Little Rock, Arkansas.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 24<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 15<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 46<\/p>\n

35. Nevada<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Las Vegas, Nevada.<\/p>\n

AndyGriffin\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 21<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 34<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 43<\/p>\n

34. Nebraska<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Lincoln, Nebraska.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 40<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 7<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 37<\/p>\n

33. Washington, DC<\/p>\n

\"National<\/p>\n

Washington, DC.<\/p>\n

xbrchx\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 25<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 51<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 14<\/p>\n

32. Alaska<\/p>\n

\"Skyline<\/p>\n

Anchorage, Alaska.<\/p>\n

Jacob Boomsma\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 14<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 42<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 42<\/p>\n

31. Wisconsin<\/p>\n

\"Bridges<\/p>\n

Eau Claire, Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

Matthew A Reddy\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 41<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 26<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 18<\/p>\n

30. Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

\"Skyline<\/p>\n

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

Erik Gonzalez\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 29<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 41<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 16<\/p>\n

29. Vermont<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Montpelier, Vermont.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 38<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 28<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 21<\/p>\n

28. Alabama<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Birmingham, Alabama.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 26<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 22<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 34<\/p>\n

27. Michigan<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Detroit, Michigan.<\/p>\n

Matthew G Eddy\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 42<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 46<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 11<\/p>\n

26. New Mexico<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Santa Fe, New Mexico.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 36<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 36<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 13<\/p>\n

25. New Jersey<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Jersey City, New Jersey.<\/p>\n

Mariusz Lopusiewicz\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 23<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 47<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 15<\/p>\n

24. Oregon<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Portland, Oregon.<\/p>\n

Jacob Boomsma\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 33<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 45<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 8<\/p>\n

23. Kansas<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Topeka, Kansas.<\/p>\n

Mihai_Andritoiu\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 20<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 13<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 30<\/p>\n

22. Indiana<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Indianapolis, Indiana.<\/p>\n

FilmRAW\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 13<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 39<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 27<\/p>\n

21. Minnesota<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Minneapolis, Minnesota.<\/p>\n

Rudy Balasko\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 28<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 12<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 20<\/p>\n

20. Maryland<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Baltimore, Maryland.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 35<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 43<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 4<\/p>\n

19. Montana<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Bozeman, Montana.<\/p>\n

Jacob Boomsma\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 17<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 6<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 35<\/p>\n

18. South Carolina<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Columbia, South Carolina.<\/p>\n

Mihai_Andritoiu\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 11<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 17<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 39<\/p>\n

17. Tennessee<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Nashville, Tennessee.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 12<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 3<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 36<\/p>\n

16. Connecticut<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Hartford, Connecticut.<\/p>\n

f11photo\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 22<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 40<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 7<\/p>\n

15. Arizona<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Phoenix, Arizona.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 16<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 16<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 23<\/p>\n

14. Virginia<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Richmond, Virginia.<\/p>\n

Eli Wilson\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 18<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 9<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 19<\/p>\n

13. New Hampshire<\/p>\n

\"Skyline<\/p>\n

Manchester, New Hampshire.<\/p>\n

Wangkun Jia\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 31<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 10<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 6<\/p>\n

12. Georgia<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Atlanta, Georgia.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 10<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 21<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 25<\/p>\n

11. Idaho<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Boise, Idaho.<\/p>\n

CSNafzger\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 19<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 2<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 17<\/p>\n

10. Florida<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Orlando, Florida.<\/p>\n

CreativeStudio79\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 6<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 19<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 29<\/p>\n

9. Colorado<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Denver, Colorado.<\/p>\n

Kevin Ruck\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 15<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 24<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 5<\/p>\n

8. Texas<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

San Antonio, Texas.<\/p>\n

Jacob Boomsma\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 7<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 11<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 24<\/p>\n

7. New York<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Buffalo, New York.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 4<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 31<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 22<\/p>\n

6. North Carolina<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Raleigh, North Carolina.<\/p>\n

Oak City Drone\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 9<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 8<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 9<\/p>\n

5. Delaware<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Wilmington, Delaware.<\/p>\n

James Kirkikis\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 1<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 27<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 10<\/p>\n

4. California<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Sacramento, California.<\/p>\n

NorthSky Films\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 2<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 49<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 3<\/p>\n

3. Utah<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Salt Lake City, Utah.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 3<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 4<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 12<\/p>\n

2. Washington<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Seattle, Washington.<\/p>\n

Sean Pavone\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 8<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 18<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 2<\/p>\n

1. Massachusetts<\/p>\n

\"Buildings<\/p>\n

Boston, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

Terelyuk\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Economic Activity Rank: 5<\/p>\n

Economic Health Rank: 37<\/p>\n

Innovation Potential Rank: 1<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"California’s economy is the fourth largest in the world, having passed Japan’s last year and trailing only the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":715160,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[45,49,48,46],"class_list":["post-715159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-business","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-economy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=715159"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715159\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/715160"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=715159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=715159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=715159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}