Visual Capitalist: U.S. States vs. G7 Countries By GDP Per Capita
Ranked: U.S. States vs. G7 Countries by GDP per Capita
This graphic charts the GDP per capita of G7 countries against select U.S. states.
Why compare states vs G7? By going down to the state level we account for differences in population and aggregate demand which can mask output inequalities between the U.S. and its peer economies.
Data for this graphic is sourced from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the Census Bureau, as of 2023.
The American Economic Dream is Only Gathering Steam
The United States is outpacing the rest of the G7 in terms of productivity. And this is true at a state level as well.
Mississippi, the state with the lowest GDP per capita, is still wealthier than four G7 countries.
Rank | U.S. State / G7 Member | GDP per Capita |
---|---|---|
1 | 🇺🇸 Washington D.C (Richest State*) | $259,954 |
2 | 🇺🇸 New York (Second-Richest State) | $110,980 |
3 | 🇺🇸 Massachusetts (Third-Richest State) | $105,164 |
4 | 🇺🇸 U.S. Average | $81,600 |
5 | 🇺🇸 Arkansas (Third-poorest State) | $58,220 |
6 | 🇺🇸 West Virginia (Second-poorest State) | $57,710 |
7 | 🇨🇦 Canada | $54,900 |
8 | 🇩🇪 Germany | $52,730 |
9 | 🇺🇸 Mississippi (Poorest State) | $51,420 |
10 | 🇬🇧 UK | $49,100 |
11 | 🇫🇷 France | $46,000 |
12 | 🇮🇹 Italy | $38,330 |
13 | 🇯🇵 Japan | $33,810 |
Note: *U.S. territory in this case
Meanwhile, West Virginia, with the second-lowest per capita GDP, surpasses all six of the other G7 nations.
These massive gaps in output could be surprising for those not paying attention. The U.S. economy has surged since the pandemic, with its GDP per capita increasing by $20,000 between 2020 and 2024—a growth none of the other G7 countries have matched, even when going all the way back to 2010.
Of course these last four years have also seen record inflation, and a strengthening U.S. dollar, affecting these numbers.
G7 Country | GDP per Capita in 2010 | GDP per Capita in 2024 | % Change |
---|---|---|---|
🇺🇸 U.S. | $48,590 | $86,600 | +78% |
🇨🇦 Canada | $47,630 | $53,830 | +13% |
🇯🇵 Japan | $45,140 | $32,860 | -27% |
🇩🇪 Germany | $43,230 | $55,520 | +28% |
🇫🇷 France | $42,200 | $48,010 | +14% |
🇬🇧 UK | $39,640 | $52,420 | +32% |
🇮🇹 Italy | $35,960 | $49,290 | +37% |
Nevertheless, there’s no denying America is staying ahead of its rivals.
And there’s a lot of factors to its success story in the last two decades, as this article from The Economist covers well. A combination of the shale oil revolution in the 2000s, tech sector boom in the 2010s, and pandemic stimulus in 2020 have kept growth steady, even while Europe, Canada, and Japan have struggled.
Adding to this: a vast consumer and capital market, integrated labor pool, and hegemony on the world’s best universities is keeping the flywheel of growth spinning.
SOURCE: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-u-s-states-vs-g7-countries-by-gdp-per-capita/#google_vignette