February 22, 2013
Metropolitan areas accounted for nearly 90 percent of national current-dollar gross domestic product (GDP). The ten largest metropolitan areas accounted for 38 percent of national GDP in 2011, while the smallest 79 metropolitan areas accounted for 2 percent of national GDP.
- Real GDP grew in 242 of the 366 MSAs. Professional and business services, durable-goods manufacturing, and trade led growth in 2011. Professional and business services contributed more than 50 percent to real GDP growth in 57 metropolitan areas. Growth in this sector was strongest for metropolitan areas in the New England and Far West regions, such as Worcester, MA, and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
- Many metropolitan areas in the Great Lakes region experienced strong growth in durable-goods manufacturing in 2011. Growth in this sector contributed more than 6 percentage points to growth in Kokomo, IN, and Columbus, IN.
- Trade contributed 1 percentage point or more to overall growth in real GDP in Odessa, TX, Logan, UT-ID, WA, and Midland, TX.
- In 2011, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, was the fastest growing metropolitan area (7.7 percent) among economies with real GDP of more than $100 billion. Midland, TX, grew the fastest (9.5 percent) of the metro areas with real GDP of $10–100 billion. Odessa, TX, grew the fastest (15.2 percent) of the metro areas with real GDP of less than $10 billion.
For more information on GDP by metropolitan area, read the full report.