How Strong Is California's Economy?

In some ways, California is more like a country than a state. For example, after the United States withdrew from the Paris climate agreement in 2017, Governor Jerry Brown took a different direction, negotiating with international leaders on shared goals and pursuing ambitious standards for lower greenhouse gas emissions. He vowed to make California carbon neutral by 2045 -- almost as though the state were a sovereign nation. And in terms of the strength of its economy, California outranks all other U.S. states, as well as most other countries. In 2018, California’s GDP surpassed $2.7 trillion USD and the state moved ahead of the United Kingdom to become the fifth-largest economy in the world. Only the United States (as a whole), China, Japan, and Germany have a higher GDP.

California Dreamin':

• California is home to some of the world’s most valuable companies, such as Apple, Alphabet (Google's parent company), and Facebook. The biggest drivers of the state’s economy are agriculture, science, entertainment, and technology.
• Around 40 million people live in California, accounting for 12 percent of the total U.S. population. Its share of the U.S. economy grew from 12.8 percent in 2012 to 14.2 percent in 2017.
• Two other U.S. states are also among the top 15 economies in the world, based on GDP. Texas is 11th on the list, ahead of Canada, and New York is 13th, edging out South Korea and Russia.