LOS ANGELES: West Virginia saw the most economic growth of any U.S. state in 2017, found a new study by leading personal finance website GOBankingRates.
Nevada ranks No. 2 in the country, with the second-highest GDP growth rate and the third-biggest drop in unemployment. The state falls short when it comes to personal income growth, with only a 2.39 percent increase.
To identify areas with the strongest economies, GOBankingRates analyzed GDP growth, personal income growth and percent decrease in overall unemployment rate. States were given a score based on their performance in each category. The scores were added up to determine the states with the strongest economies moving into 2018.
For more details on methodology and to read the full study, visit: 25 States with the Strongest Economies in 2017
Top Five States with the Strongest Economies in 2017
1. West Virginia
•GDP growth: 6.84 percent
•Personal income increase: 2.75 percent
•Unemployment rate decrease: 1.3 percentage points
2. Nevada
•GDP growth: 6.38 percent
•Personal income increase: 2.39 percent
•Unemployment rate decrease: 1.2 percentage points
3. California
•GDP growth: 4.9 percent
•Personal income increase: 3.4 percent
•Unemployment rate decrease: 0.7 percentage points
4. Pennsylvania
•GDP growth: 5.34 percent
•Personal income increase: 3.14 percent
•Unemployment rate decrease: 0.6 percentage points
5. Indiana
•GDP growth: 3.55 percent
•Personal income increase: 3.9 percent
•Unemployment rate decrease: 0.8 percentage points
Additional Insights
•In California, the information industry easily outpaced all other industries, contributing 0.71 percentage points to California's GDP. The finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing industry contributed only 0.34 percentage points.
•Kentucky ranked No. 16 on the list of strongest economies due to high GDP growth. However, the state has low personal income growth and saw an unemployment decrease of only 0.1 percent.
•Indiana saw the highest boost in personal income of any state at nearly 4 percent. The state as a whole ranks No. 5 on the list.
