Box score · every measure, sourced

Red vs Blue State Economies

No thesis, no composite score, no purple-state escape hatch. Fix the teams by the 2024 presidential result, put every measure on the same board, and show exactly where the verdict changes.

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Data years: GDP, RPP, ACS, migration, unemployment 2024 · tax burden 2022 · federal balance FFY 2023 · grouping fixed by 2024 presidential winner until the 2028 election.
INTERACTIVE STATE MAP · 50 STATES

See the comparison state by state

Choose a measure, then hover, focus, or select a state for its exact value. Color runs continuously from the lowest to highest state value.

United States GDP per resident mapThe 50 states are shaded on a continuous scale from the lowest to highest 2024 GDP per resident. With JavaScript, choose another measure and inspect exact state values.Alabama: $63,080 GDP per residentAlaska: $96,695 GDP per residentArizona: $75,186 GDP per residentArkansas: $60,984 GDP per residentCalifornia: $102,662 GDP per residentColorado: $93,602 GDP per residentConnecticut: $97,096 GDP per residentDelaware: $105,495 GDP per residentFlorida: $73,879 GDP per residentGeorgia: $78,841 GDP per residentHawaii: $81,339 GDP per residentIdaho: $64,457 GDP per residentIllinois: $90,330 GDP per residentIndiana: $75,028 GDP per residentIowa: $81,998 GDP per residentKansas: $77,601 GDP per residentKentucky: $64,375 GDP per residentLouisiana: $71,594 GDP per residentMaine: $70,586 GDP per residentMaryland: $87,180 GDP per residentMassachusetts: $109,095 GDP per residentMichigan: $69,274 GDP per residentMinnesota: $87,636 GDP per residentMississippi: $53,751 GDP per residentMissouri: $71,846 GDP per residentMontana: $68,975 GDP per residentNebraska: $94,364 GDP per residentNevada: $82,330 GDP per residentNew Hampshire: $84,694 GDP per residentNew Jersey: $89,045 GDP per residentNew Mexico: $69,046 GDP per residentNew York: $116,883 GDP per residentNorth Carolina: $76,427 GDP per residentNorth Dakota: $100,504 GDP per residentOhio: $77,684 GDP per residentOklahoma: $64,388 GDP per residentOregon: $77,299 GDP per residentPennsylvania: $77,062 GDP per residentRhode Island: $72,265 GDP per residentSouth Carolina: $65,173 GDP per residentSouth Dakota: $83,052 GDP per residentTennessee: $77,645 GDP per residentTexas: $88,517 GDP per residentUtah: $85,475 GDP per residentVermont: $71,359 GDP per residentVirginia: $86,451 GDP per residentWashington: $107,564 GDP per residentWest Virginia: $60,156 GDP per residentWisconsin: $76,044 GDP per residentWyoming: $87,639 GDP per resident
Low · $53,751High · $116,883

Classification rule

Trump states (31): Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Harris states (19): California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington. DC appears in the ledger but not pooled state results.

Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin changed from Biden in 2020 to Trump in 2024. No purple category is used.

NATIONAL BOX SCORE · SAME WEIGHT, SAME TYPE

Red vs blue state economies: the scoreboard

Each row answers a different question; no composite “winner” is calculated.

MeasureSlate side · 31 Trump statesBronze side · 19 Harris statesWhat it tells youVintage
Total GDP$15.17T$13.78TScale of production, not individual welfare2024 BEA
GDP per resident$76,315$98,022Output divided by population2024 BEA + ACS
Avg. state median household income$75,230$94,427Population-weighted state medians; not a national microdata median2024 ACS
RPP-adjusted median income$76,582$92,378Approximate purchasing power after state price levels2024 ACS + BEA
Aggregate real GDP growth, 2019–2414.8%10.4%Five-year output change; pandemic endpoints matter2019–24 BEA
Annual unemployment3.8%4.4%Population-weighted state annual rates2024 BLS
Net domestic migration+486,948-486,611People moving between states, not international migrationJul 2023–Jul 2024 Census
State-local tax burden9.4%13.0%Residents' estimated state-local taxes as share of income2022 Tax Foundation model
Federal balance per resident$4,817$2,538Federal spending located in states minus receipts allocated to statesFFY 2023 Rockefeller
Official poverty rate12.8%11.2%ACS official measure; does not adjust state costs2024 ACS

The verdict flips when the measure changes

Claim / measureHigher side in this vintageComplicating measureDefensible sentence
Which side produces more in total?SlatePopulation and number of statesThe Trump states produced more combined 2024 GDP under this fixed election grouping.
Which side produces more per resident?BronzeIndustry mix and urban concentrationThe Harris group had higher 2024 GDP per resident.
Where is nominal median income higher?BronzeRegional pricesPopulation-weighted state medians favor the Harris group before price adjustment.
Where does median income buy more?BronzeHousing quality and household compositionBEA price adjustment narrows but does not reverse the nominal result.
Where are people moving?SlateWeather, housing supply, age, and job mixNet domestic migration favored the Trump states from July 2023 to July 2024.
Who gets more from Washington?SlateBases, federal payroll, age, poverty, disasters, and progressive taxesThe Trump group had the larger population-weighted FFY 2023 federal balance per resident.

Does the result depend on six close states?

Remove the six closest high-impact states from both groups, then recompute.

MeasureAll states winnerExcluding WI, MI, PA, GA, NC, NVInterpretation
Total GDPTrumpHarrisLarge close states can move the pooled total
GDP per residentHarrisHarrisTests whether the result rests on swing-state assignment
RPP-adjusted median incomeHarrisHarrisPrice-adjusted household-resource proxy
Real GDP growth, 2019–24TrumpTrumpFive-year aggregate growth
Domestic migrationTrumpTrumpAbsolute net movers, not a rate
Federal BOP/personTrumpTrumpFederal geography can dominate ideology

The full 50-state ledger plus DC

Sorted by 2024 GDP. Every column keeps its year visible here; “federal BOP” means spending located in the state minus receipts allocated to it.

State / district2024 winnerGDPGDP/personRPP-adjusted median HH incomeReal GDP 5yDomestic migrationUnemploymentTax burdenPovertyFederal BOP/person
CaliforniaHarris$4.05T$102,662$97,620+11.4%-239,5755.3%13.5%11.8%$342
TexasTrump$2.77T$88,517$82,118+23.0%+85,2674.1%8.6%13.4%$2,603
New YorkHarris$2.32T$116,883$82,466+8.0%-120,9174.3%15.9%14.0%$674
FloridaTrump$1.73T$73,879$76,719+24.6%+64,0173.4%9.1%12.0%$2,574
IllinoisHarris$1.15T$90,330$83,081+4.8%-56,2355.0%12.9%11.6%$818
PennsylvaniaTrump$1.01T$77,062$77,730+4.1%-11,5003.6%10.6%11.6%$4,826
OhioTrump$923.1B$77,684$72,980+7.1%-2,4624.3%10.0%12.7%$5,075
GeorgiaTrump$881.5B$78,841$82,174+12.4%+25,3213.5%8.9%12.6%$3,951
WashingtonHarris$856.0B$107,564$95,683+19.3%+2,6714.5%10.7%9.9%-$7
New JerseyHarris$846.0B$89,045$100,739+9.2%-35,5544.5%13.2%9.2%-$2,011
North CarolinaTrump$844.2B$76,427$75,324+16.9%+82,2883.6%9.9%12.5%$4,808
MassachusettsHarris$778.5B$109,095$101,921+11.0%-27,4804.0%11.5%9.7%-$967
VirginiaHarris$761.7B$86,451$91,876+13.4%+5,2842.9%12.5%9.7%$16,650
MichiganTrump$702.5B$69,274$71,720+7.9%-7,6564.7%8.6%13.4%$4,584
ArizonaTrump$570.1B$75,186$79,260+24.3%+34,9023.6%9.5%11.7%$7,195
TennesseeTrump$561.2B$77,645$75,673+18.9%+48,4763.4%7.6%13.5%$4,589
ColoradoHarris$557.6B$93,602$97,490+17.0%+5,4224.3%9.7%9.6%$1,051
MarylandHarris$546.0B$87,180$101,288+7.6%-18,5093.0%11.3%9.1%$13,037
IndianaTrump$519.5B$75,028$72,580+11.2%+4,2684.2%9.3%12.2%$4,415
MinnesotaHarris$507.7B$87,636$86,932+8.0%-1,1613.0%12.1%9.3%$807
WisconsinTrump$453.3B$76,044$77,877+6.3%+6,3323.0%10.9%10.3%$2,887
MissouriTrump$448.7B$71,846$75,223+10.0%+12,2893.7%9.3%12.3%$7,150
South CarolinaTrump$357.1B$65,173$73,613+16.3%+68,0434.1%8.9%13.3%$7,926
ConnecticutHarris$356.8B$97,096$93,562+4.0%-6,0603.2%15.4%10.2%$2,937
OregonHarris$330.3B$77,299$84,967+9.8%-1,1624.2%10.8%11.8%$4,389
LouisianaTrump$329.2B$71,594$63,722+4.2%-17,4054.4%9.1%18.7%$8,784
AlabamaTrump$325.3B$63,080$68,926+13.5%+26,0283.1%9.8%15.2%$10,268
UtahTrump$299.5B$85,475$97,675+21.6%+3,2203.2%12.1%8.3%$1,067
KentuckyTrump$295.4B$64,375$66,351+9.1%+7,2945.1%9.6%15.6%$10,813
NevadaTrump$269.0B$82,330$82,166+17.8%+16,8535.6%9.6%11.6%$2,120
IowaTrump$265.8B$81,998$81,248+9.5%-2313.0%11.2%11.3%$3,481
OklahomaTrump$263.7B$64,388$69,295+5.1%+14,0363.3%9.0%14.9%$8,097
KansasTrump$230.5B$77,601$80,492+7.1%-4,7013.6%11.2%10.9%$3,900
NebraskaTrump$189.2B$94,364$82,142+16.1%-1,4982.8%11.5%10.9%$2,351
ArkansasTrump$188.3B$60,984$65,161+15.9%+13,4653.5%10.2%15.5%$7,340
District of ColumbiaHarris$184.3B$262,439$106,549+4.4%-3375.2%12.0%17.3%not reported
MississippiTrump$158.2B$53,751$61,533+11.0%-4,9393.2%9.8%17.8%$11,714
New MexicoHarris$147.1B$69,046$68,821+18.6%-1,5714.1%10.2%16.4%$16,178
IdahoTrump$129.0B$64,457$81,973+22.7%+16,3833.7%10.7%10.5%$4,191
New HampshireHarris$119.3B$84,694$96,056+12.4%+4,8892.6%9.6%7.2%$23
HawaiiHarris$117.6B$81,339$97,908+3.4%-9,3213.0%14.1%10.0%$10,291
DelawareHarris$111.0B$105,495$86,466+14.4%+8,1553.7%12.4%9.6%$5,360
West VirginiaTrump$106.5B$60,156$60,835+7.2%+4,5204.1%9.8%16.7%$12,130
MaineHarris$99.2B$70,586$74,078+16.5%+5,3293.1%12.4%10.6%$9,144
Rhode IslandHarris$80.4B$72,265$81,198+5.5%-3054.3%11.4%12.2%$4,767
North DakotaTrump$80.1B$100,504$85,424+6.7%-2912.4%8.8%11.1%$2,787
MontanaTrump$78.4B$68,975$76,321+20.6%+5,4103.0%10.5%10.2%$4,929
South DakotaTrump$76.8B$83,052$83,658+9.9%+2,1321.8%8.4%10.4%$3,626
AlaskaTrump$71.6B$96,695$93,598+6.8%-3,7744.6%4.6%10.2%$14,760
WyomingTrump$51.5B$87,639$75,210+3.1%+8613.2%7.5%10.1%$3,218
VermontHarris$46.3B$71,359$81,438+9.2%-5112.3%13.6%9.0%$5,558

Where are domestic movers actually going?

Census net domestic migration, July 1, 2023 to July 1, 2024. Census counts people; IRS migration data can add adjusted gross income.

RankTop gainerNet domestic movers2024 resultTop loserNet domestic movers2024 result
1Texas+85,267TrumpCalifornia-239,575Harris
2North Carolina+82,288TrumpNew York-120,917Harris
3South Carolina+68,043TrumpIllinois-56,235Harris
4Florida+64,017TrumpNew Jersey-35,554Harris
5Tennessee+48,476TrumpMassachusetts-27,480Harris
6Arizona+34,902TrumpMaryland-18,509Harris
7Alabama+26,028TrumpLouisiana-17,405Trump
8Georgia+25,321TrumpPennsylvania-11,500Trump
9Nevada+16,853TrumpHawaii-9,321Harris
10Idaho+16,383TrumpMichigan-7,656Trump

Do blue states subsidize red states?

Short answer: On this report's 2023 population-weighted average, Trump-won states received a larger positive federal balance per resident. That does not mean every red state is a recipient or every blue state a donor: only New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Washington were negative in 2023, while federal wages, procurement, bases, age, poverty, disasters, and progressive taxation drive the geography. Pandemic-era spending still affected the vintage.
RankHighest federal balance$/resident2024 resultLowest federal balance$/resident2024 result
1Virginia$16,650HarrisNew Jersey-$2,011Harris
2New Mexico$16,178HarrisMassachusetts-$967Harris
3Alaska$14,760TrumpWashington-$7Harris
4Maryland$13,037HarrisNew Hampshire$23Harris
5West Virginia$12,130TrumpCalifornia$342Harris
6Mississippi$11,714TrumpNew York$674Harris
7Kentucky$10,813TrumpMinnesota$807Harris
8Hawaii$10,291HarrisIllinois$818Harris
9Alabama$10,268TrumpColorado$1,051Harris
10Maine$9,144HarrisUtah$1,067Trump

Common mistakes

Totals vs per-capita

California and Texas move totals. A resident-level claim needs a denominator; an aggregate market-size claim does not.

Ignoring prices

Nominal income buys different housing and services. RPP adjustment helps, but it does not measure quality, taxes, climate, or household size.

Credit to today's governor

Oil geology, ports, universities, finance clusters, age structure, and housing stock predate any current officeholder.

Migration as a policy referendum

Jobs and taxes matter, but so do weather, family, retirement, remote work, housing supply, disaster, and international immigration.

Cherry-picked endpoints

A five-year window starting in 2019 crosses a pandemic shock. Use several windows before claiming a durable growth regime.

DC as an ordinary state

DC is shown in the ledger but excluded from red/blue pooled results and federal BOP ranking. Its federal payroll and city-state structure break the comparison.

One party caused one economy

Presidential vote is a classification key, not a causal design. These are descriptive groups with enormous within-group variance.

Sources & method

  1. BEA GDP by state: 2024 current-dollar GDP and 2019–24 real GDP; BEA RPP: 2024 regional price levels.
  2. 2024 ACS R1901 workbook: median household income; ACS R1701 workbook: official poverty; Census Vintage 2024 components: population and domestic migration.
  3. BLS 2024 annual state unemployment.
  4. Tax Foundation 2022 state-local burden model, built from Census state/local finance and BEA income data. This is a modeled burden, not a statutory rate.
  5. Rockefeller Institute 2025 report, Tables 5–6: FFY 2023 federal receipts, expenditures, and balance by state. DC is not ranked.
  6. Federal Election Commission, Federal Elections 2024 for the fixed classification.
  7. Census 2024 Cartographic Boundary Files, 1:20,000,000 KML, for the state map geometry.

Method: pooled totals sum states. Pooled rates and state-median measures are population-weighted descriptive averages, not microdata estimates. The generator downloads the official source files and rebuilds the table; tax and federal-balance vintages are intentionally labeled because they lag.