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Key Takeaways

• California passed Japan to become the fourth-largest economy in 2024, new data from the BEA reveals.
• Nine U.S. states feature in the world’s 30 largest economies as measured by their 2024 GDP.

It’s in the name really. The United States of America began as a union of separate entities coming together.

And while the U.S. is seen as a single global economic and political hegemon today, many of its 50 states are major economies on their own.

To show just how big they are, we’ve mapped and ranked 30 of the world’s largest economies, including U.S. states, to see how they stack up against entire countries.

ℹ️ The U.S. is included as a reference point; removing it would make China the largest economy.

Figures are sourced from the Bureau of Economic Analysis(BEA) and International Monetary Fund (IMF), both for 2024.

Ranked: World’s Largest Economies, Including U.S. States

California is the largest U.S. state by GDP and would rank 4th in the world if it was its own country.

Its GDP ($4.1 trillion) is now larger than every other country, barring Germany, China, and of course the rest of the United States.

This comparison uses the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ newly released 2024 GDP data, which shows California’s economy is $900 billion larger than Japan’s 2024 print at $4.02 trillion.

Of course the IMF has released 2025 predictive GDP figures. Japan’s output is higher now ($4.19 trillion), but California’s comparative figures won’t be released for another year.

Another footnote: India has also leapfrogged Japan in 2025 by IMF estimates. Depending on how California performs this year, it could retain its spot or slip back down to fifth place.

In total, nine U.S. states feature in the world’s top 30 economies as measured by their 2024 GDP. These include financial capital (New York), shale-boom central (Texas), other tech hubs (Washington), as well as population clusters (Florida and Georgia).

Vermont, the smallest U.S. state by GDP, would rank 147th in the world.

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