xvi heed-blowing facts about California'due south economy

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  • California has the largest economy of whatever US country.
  • If it were its own nation, California would accept the fifth largest economy in the world.
  • Here are 16 surprising facts almost the Golden Country.
  • Visit MarketsInsider.com for more than stories.

California is one of the major economic engines of the United States.

With a population of more than 39 million people, the Golden State has the most people of whatever U.s.a. state, and drives many of the nation'southward cultural trends.

The land has an incredibly various economy, with Hollywood, Silicon Valley, manufacturing, and agriculture all making significant contributions.

With such a dynamic economy, California is full of heed-bravado facts and figures, so hither are 16 of them:

California would be the fifth largest economy in the world

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If California were its ain nation, it would be the fifth largest economic system in the earth. With a GDP of $2.9 trillion, California would slot between Federal republic of germany and the U.k. in the globe'due south tiptop economies.

The Aureate Country makes upwardly 14% of the U.s. economic system

Source: Forbes

The Bay Expanse ranks 19th in the world in economic activity

Tinnaporn Sathapornnanont/Shutterstock

While California would exist an economical force as its ain nation, so too would the Bay Surface area solitary.

With a Gdp of $535 billion, the San Francisco Bay Area would rank 19th in the world when ranked against national economies.

The Bay Surface area is domicile to vii meg people in nine counties and 101 cities, including San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose.

The $74,815 Gross domestic product per capita is more than London and Singapore.

Source: French-American Sleeping room of Commerce

Despite its massive Gross domestic product, California has been ranked the quaternary-all-time economy in the US

A homeless woman stands with her belongings in Los Angeles.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

California was ranked the fourth-best US land economy by the personal finance website Wallet Hub.

Despite having a Gdp that would rank among the largest in the world, the ranking looked at more than the crucial number.

The state was hampered by its ranking of 32nd in economical health, which looks at unemployment, underemployment, payroll change, poverty rate, foreclosure rate, and uninsured population.

Source: Wallet Hub

In that location are nearly 4 million pocket-size businesses in California

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At that place are 3.nine one thousand thousand small businesses in California, making upwardly 99.8% of the state's businesses.

Those companies apply nearly fifty% of the land'southward workforce.

Source: Blue H2o Credit

California produces more 400 agricultural products

AP Photo/Gerry Broome

More than two-thirds of the nation's fruits and nuts and a tertiary of vegetables grown in the Us come from California.

At that place are more 25 million acres of farms in the Golden State, led by dairy products, grapes, almonds, strawberries, cows, and lettuce.

Source: California Department of Food and Agriculture

California makes 81% of all Usa vino

Shutterstock / Sherri R. Camp

With nigh 5,000 wineries, California produces 81% of all Us wine and sells 241 million cases of vino a year.

California also brings in $1.53 billion from the wine it exports each twelvemonth.

Source: Discover California Wines

The 2 major academy systems contribute more than $60 billion to the state'southward economy

Harry How/Getty Images

The University of California system, including UCLA and the University of California, contribute more than $46 billion yearly  to the state's economy. With ane.vii million living alumni, the Academy of California organization has produced 61 noble laureates.

Meanwhile, the California State Academy system produces $17 billion a year in economic activity and one in every 10 California workers is a graduate, equally more than than half of alumni stay in the land.

Sources: Cal State University and Academy of California

Los Angeles County has the two largest seaports in the US

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The seaports in Long Beach and Los Angeles are the 2 largest seaports in the United States, handling 40% of inbound US containerized freight.

Los Angeles International Airport is the 3rd-nearly active international cargo drome, but its passenger service flies to 91 U.s. cities and 41 nations.

All told, international trade from LA County exceeds $400 billion each yr.

Source: Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation

The moving-picture show industry added $49 billion to California's economic system in 2015.

Ben Horton/Getty Images for Madame Tussauds Hollywood

It's no surprise that California is at the center of America's movie industry.

Co-ordinate to the National Endowment for the Arts, the film and video industry contributed more than than $49 billion to California'southward economic system in 2015.

New York finishes a distant 2d, with its pic industry contributing but over $28 billion to its economy that year.

Source: National Endowment for the Arts

Xc percent of workers in Silicon Valley are making less than their equivalents were 20 years agone

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Adjusting for inflation, 90% of employees in Silicon Valley are making less than their equivalents were xx years ago.

Despite sliding wages, Silicon Valley'southward economic output per capita has jumped by 74% from 2001 to 2017.

The pinnacle 10% of Silicon Valley earners, nonetheless, have seen their wages abound.

Source: Inc .

California is trying to salve $one.5 billion by requiring cities to use electric buses

An electric autobus sits under a charging station in Pomona, California.
Reuters/Lucy Nicholson

California is ready to crave the state's city-bus systems to have fully electric fleets by 2040.

The requirement will be implemented over fourth dimension, with a quarter of fleets to be electric by 2023 and one-half electric by 2026.

In that location are currently 150 electric buses in California fleets, which include 12,000 buses.

The switch could save $ane.five billion in maintenance and fuel costs past 2050.

Source: New York Times

California'due south professional sports have combined value of more than than $33.v billion

AP/Rick Bowmer

California has 19 sports teams in the five major professional N American sports leagues. Combined, those teams are estimated to be worth more than $33.v billion. Information technology certainly helps to have ii of the nation'due south largest media markets in Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

At $iii.vii billion, the NBA'southward Los Angeles Lakers are the state'southward most valuable squad. Meanwhile, the Aureate State Warriors are worth $three.one billion. And MLB'south Los Angeles Dodgers are worth $iii.3 billion.

The NFL's Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers both clock in at a hair over $three billion.

Source: Forbes

California is the only land where gas costs over $4 a gallon

Getty Images/Mark Renders

On April 15, the average cost of regular gas in Los Angeles reached $iv.069 a gallon. Information technology was the first time in more than four years that prices in Los Angeles surpassed the $4 marking, according to the Los Angeles Times.

California is the only state with an overall average gas price above $4, while just five other states with prices boilerplate more than $3.

Hawaii has the next highest average at more than $iii.lx a gallon, co-ordinate to AAA.

Sources: AAA and Los Angeles Times

Rising bounding main levels are 10 times larger of a threat to California's economy than fires or earthquakes

Nick Play a trick on/Shutterstock

By 2100, up to 600,000 Californians and $150 billion worth of property will be at gamble of coastal flooding.

The losses would exist 6% of California'south 2019 Gdp.

To starting time the potential effects of rise ocean levels, costs could exceed $1 trillion.

Source: Scientific America

California sold $2.v billion worth of marijuana final twelvemonth — simply nevertheless roughshod curt of expectations

AP Photograph/ Oasis Daley

In 2016, California became the sixth The states land to legalize recreational marijuana. The first legal sales in the state took place in 2018, and in one year, $2.5 billion worth of cannabis was sold.

Although $2.v billion is nothing to scoff at, information technology was really less than California sold ane twelvemonth before, when only medical cannabis was legal, according to The New York Times.

As it turns out, The Times reported, California has a massive surplus of cannabis, and is having trouble convincing consumers to purchase it legally instead of from the black marketplace.

Source: The New York Times

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