California’s fastest-growing economies so far this century are in the Bay Area or inland.
My trusty spreadsheet compared county-level gross domestic product stats for 2024, the latest available, and 2001, the oldest numbers in the dataset, to identify the Golden State’s hottest business climates. The growth rates, not adjusted for inflation, were compared with the expansion pace of all U.S. counties tracked.
There were 16 California counties in which GDP tripled in the 23 years. Four of these fast-growth counties were around the Bay Area, and the other 12 were inland.
San Mateo was California’s top growth county, with GDP up 379% between 2001 and 2024. The expansion pace ranked 142nd fastest nationwide.
San Mateo’s increase put its 2024 GDP at $217 billion – No. 6 among the state’s counties and No. 15 in the nation.
By the way, the statewide GDP almost tripled in this period – up 195% to $4 trillion. And the nation’s GDP grew 176% to $29 trillion.
Here’s how the other counties where GDP at least tripled fared, ranked among the state’s 58 counties by their growth rates:
– San Francisco: 281% growth rate that ranked 330 nationally to $268 billion in 2024 – No. 5 statewide and No. 11 in the U.S.
– Madera: 276% growth – No. 353 U.S. – to $8.9 billion in 2024 – No. 34 state, No. 482 U.S.
– Modoc: 274% growth – No. 359 U.S. – to $688 million in 2024 – No. 55 state, No. 2149 U.S.
– Riverside: 269% growth – No. 379 U.S. – to $135 billion in 2024 – No. 10 state, No. 41 U.S.
– Santa Clara: 264% growth – No. 396 U.S. – to $438 billion in 2024 – No. 2 state, No. 6 U.S.
– Imperial: 254% growth – No. 434 U.S. – to $13 billion in 2024 – No. 29 state, No. 353 U.S.
– Solano: 242% growth – No. 493 U.S. – to $38 billion in 2024 – No. 19 state, No. 154 U.S.
– Placer: 239% growth – No. 511 U.S. – to $34.3 billion in 2024 – No. 21 state, No. 172 U.S.
– San Bernardino: 230% growth – No. 568 U.S. – to $138 billion in 2024 – No. 8 state, No. 36 U.S.
– Colusa: 223% growth – No. 610 U.S. – to $2 billion in 2024 – No. 47 state, No. 1265 U.S.
– Kern: 223% growth – No. 621 U.S. – to $63 billion in 2024 – No. 14 state, No. 92 U.S.
– Merced: 213% growth – No. 712 U.S. – to $13 billion in 2024 – No. 28 state, No. 348 U.S.
– Fresno: 205% growth – No. 786 U.S. – to $64 billion in 2024 – No. 13 state, No. 89 U.S.
– Kings: 204% growth – No. 790 U.S. – to $9 billion in 2024 – No. 33 state, No. 464 U.S.
– Yuba: 201% growth – No. 821 U.S. – to $4.5 billion in 2024 – No. 39 state, No. 743 U.S.
Nationally speaking
The fastest-growing counties in the U.S., 2024 vs. 2001…
– Loving, Texas, up 8,628% to $11 billion.
– Culberson, Texas, up 6,724% to $4 billion.
– Martin, Texas, up 6,599% to $16 billion.
– Reeves, Texas, up 3,581% to $14 billion.
– Dunn, Texas, up 3,177% to $2 billion.
Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com
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