The Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes quarterly estimates of gross domestic product (GDP) for each of the 50 US states and Washington, DC. The measure, which counts the final sales value of all goods and services sold in a state, is widely considered a broad barometer of the economic health of a region.
Particularly important is the rate at which GDP is growing or shrinking in a state. Expanding economies generally go along with improving standards of living (although the distribution of that growth is also crucially important) while sustained contraction in GDP suggests serious problems in an area’s economy.
Here’s the Q4 2017 seasonally-adjusted, annualized GDP growth rate for each of the 50 US states and Washington, DC. Rates ranged from a 1.3% decrease in North Dakota to 5.2% growth in Texas: