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EMBARGOED UNTIL RELEASE AT 8:30 A.M. EST, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2020

BEA 20-62

Gross Domestic Product by County, 2019

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased in 2,484 counties, decreased in 612 counties, and was unchanged in 17 counties in 2019, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The percent change in real GDP ranged from 62.5 percent in Greensville + Emporia, VA, to –34.2 percent in Jackson County, WV (table 1).¹

Real GDP: Percent Change for Counties, 2018-2019

GDP is the value of goods and services produced within a county. The size of a county's economy as measured by GDP varies considerably across the United States. In 2019, the total level of real GDP ranged from $22.9 million in Petroleum County, MT, to $726.9 billion in Los Angeles County, CA.

Highlights

Large counties: 141 counties with populations greater than 500,000 in 2019

Real GDP increased in 132 counties and decreased in 9 counties.
GDP ranged from $11.6 billion in Pasco County, FL, to $726.9 billion in Los Angeles County, CA.
Williamson County, TX (6.0 percent), was the fastest growing large county. The durable goods manufacturing industry was the leading contributor to the county's growth.
Hudson County, NJ (–2.6 percent), had the largest percent decrease in GDP. The real estate and rental and leasing industry was the leading contributor to the decrease.

Medium counties: 465 counties with populations between 100,000 and 500,000 in 2019

Real GDP increased in 405 counties, decreased in 58 counties, and was unchanged in 2 counties.
GDP ranged from $2.1 billion in Saline County, AR, to $49.3 billion in Morris County, NJ.
Midland County, TX (13.9 percent), was the fastest growing medium county. The mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industry (primarily oil and gas extraction) was the leading contributor to the county's growth.
Canadian County, OK (–4.9 percent), had the largest percent decrease in GDP. The mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industry (primarily oil and gas extraction) was the leading contributor to the decrease.

Small counties: 2,507 counties with populations less than 100,000 in 2019

Real GDP increased in 1,947 counties, decreased in 545 counties, and was unchanged in 15 counties.
GDP ranged from $22.9 million in Petroleum County, MT, to $16.1 billion in Reeves County, TX.
Greensville + Emporia, VA (62.5 percent), was the fastest growing small county. The utilities industry was the leading contributor to the county's growth.
Jackson County, WV (–34.2 percent), had the largest percent decrease in GDP. The construction industry was the leading contributor to the decrease.

Annual Update of GDP by County and Metropolitan Area

The estimates of 2019 GDP by county and metropolitan area released today incorporate the results of BEA's annual update of GDP by county that was also released today. The annual estimates for 2001 to 2018 were revised. The update incorporates revised source data that are more complete and more detailed than previously available, the results of the July 2020 annual update of the National Income and Product Accounts, the September 2020 annual update of the GDP by industry and GDP by state statistics, and the results of the November 2020 annual update of personal income by county.

Next release: December 8, 2021
Gross Domestic Product by County and Metropolitan Area, 2020

¹Virginia combination areas consist of one or two independent populations of less than 100,000, combined with an adjacent county. The county name appears first, followed by the city name(s). Separate estimates for the jurisdictions making up the combination areas are not available.

Full Release & County Tables (PDF)

Tables Only (Excel)

Highlights (PDF)

Interactive Tables

Sharon Panek

(301) 278-9228

gdpbymetro@bea.gov

Technical

Jacob Hinson

301-278-9686

GDPbyCounty@bea.gov

Media (BEA)

Connie O'Connell

301-278-9003

Connie.OConnell@bea.gov

Resources

Stay informed about BEA developments by reading The BEA Wire, signing up for BEA's email subscription service, or following BEA on Twitter @BEA_News.
Historical time series for these estimates can be accessed in BEA's Interactive Data Application.
Access BEA data by registering for BEA's Data Application Programming Interface.
For more on BEA's statistics, see our monthly online journal, the Survey of Current Business.
BEA's news release schedule.
BEA Regional Facts (BEARFACTS): a narrative summary of personal income, per capita personal income, components of income, and gross domestic product for counties, metropolitan statistical areas, and states.

Definitions

Gross domestic product by county is the value of goods and services produced by the county's economy less the value of goods and services used up in production. GDP by county is the sub-state counterpart of the nation's gross domestic product, the Bureau's featured and most comprehensive measure of U.S. economic activity.

Current-dollar statistics are valued in the prices of the period when the transactions occurred—that is, at "market value." Also referred to as "nominal GDP" or "current-price GDP."

Real values are inflation-adjusted statistics—that is, these exclude the effects of price changes.

Contributions to growth are an industry's contribution to the county's overall percent change in real GDP. The contributions are additive and can be summed to the county's overall percent change.

Statistical conventions

Quantities and prices. Quantities, or "real" measures, are expressed as index numbers with a specified reference year equal to 100 (currently 2012). Quantity indexes are calculated using a Fisher-chained weighted formula that incorporates weights from two adjacent periods (quarters for quarterly data and annuals for annual data). "Real" dollar series are calculated by multiplying the published quantity index by the current dollar value in the reference year (2012) and then dividing by 100. Percent changes calculated from chained-dollar levels and quantity indexes are conceptually the same; any differences are due to rounding.

Chained-dollar values are not additive, because the relative weights for a given period differ from those of the reference year.

Chained-dollar values of GDP by county are derived by applying national chain-type price indexes to the current dollar values of GDP by county for 61 detailed North American Industry Classification System-based industries. The chain-type index formula that is used in the national accounts is then used to calculate the values of total real GDP by county and real GDP by county at more aggregated industry levels. Real GDP by county may reflect a substantial volume of output that is sold to other areas and countries. To the extent that a county's output is produced and sold in national markets at relatively uniform prices (or sold locally at national prices), real GDP by county captures the differences across counties that reflect the relative differences in the mix of goods and services that the areas produce. However, real GDP by county does not capture geographic differences in the prices of goods and services that are produced and sold locally.

Relation of GDP by county to national GDP. The GDP by county statistics released today are consistent with the GDP by state statistics released on October 2, 2020, which were based on the July 2020 update of the National Income and Product Accounts and the September 2020 update of the annual Industry Economic Accounts.

News Release Table

Table 1. Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by County, 2016–2019