Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Article is kinda sparse on details but with Silicon Valley, Hollywood, west coast shipping, agriculture, and TOURISM!!! Combined with a strong dollar which raised its gdp (while lowering France's), not surprising.
It can be argued that California's economy succeeds in spite of the excessive taxes and would be larger still in a more business friendly environment.
Mexico has low taxes and low cost of living and the donor class there dominate politics and the economy to an extraordinary degree. Thats where America is headed with continued right wing "donor class" policies (which also includes "third-way" democrats like Clinton). A tiny ultra rich elite, low taxes, and the 99% struggling to bet by.
Truth be told it isn't like any of the post-industrial economies of Europe have been doing incredibly well economically over the past few years. I would call California about average in terms of US growth and employment, sitting at 5.2% currently is really not far off from the national average (4.7%), and most recent quarterly real GDP has them at 0.6% vs the overall 0.8% for the US economy in 1Q 2016. So average, but not hurting. Still performing better than most of the world I would gamble (and being average, better than 24-25 states).
It would probably be much higher if not for the strong US dollar, which tends to limit exports. California is a highly export dependent state. Not only for goods produced in the state, but for exports moving out of its many ports. This is a larger economic drag though and not just for California.
I know this is a more statistical answer rather than the emotion fueled rages that are more popular around here, but it is true none the less.
Texas is the 12th largest economy in the world (ahead of South Korea and Australia), and it only has two thirds the population of California.
So what the OP is really seeing is a whole lot of not very well off people in CA on avg. Which may make for a more volumetric economy but not a prosperous one per capita.
What all this is telling me is 2 of our stats are in the top 12 economies, ahead of some very prominent countries, then those other countries are in a lot more trouble than us.
Texas is the 12th largest economy in the world (ahead of South Korea and Australia), and it only has two thirds the population of California.
So what the OP is really seeing is a whole lot of not very well off people in CA on avg. Which may make for a more volumetric economy but not a prosperous one per capita.
Texas, North Dakota, Tennessee or any other of them flyover States with all them good jobs can have it. No thanks.
I'm not waking up in the morning to look out my window at TX, ND, or TN....sorry. No job is THAT good!
No one could pay me enough to live in California. Pretty scenery, sure, but the taxes, the insane cost of living, the uberlib politics. No thanks, never. I would way prefer TX, TN, FL, or the Carolinas.
I know, Mass is bad, too. But at least I can easily escape accross the border to NH when the time is right. No viable escape from the big cities in Kalifornia.
Texas is the 12th largest economy in the world (ahead of South Korea and Australia), and it only has two thirds the population of California.
So what the OP is really seeing is a whole lot of not very well off people in CA on avg. Which may make for a more volumetric economy but not a prosperous one per capita.
Maybe, but it's prosperous enough to keep people flocking to the state.
That said, waking up in California with less disposable income as opposed to waking up in just about every other state is obviously worth the sacrifice.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.