How just 6 cities dominate America's economy — in one astonishing chart
These cities make up nearly a quarter of the entire U.S. economy

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
It may be unsurprising to know that the location of greatest economic output is related to population density, but seeing the actual distribution is striking: the top six GDP producing cities — New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC, Dallas, and Houston — account for nearly a quarter of the US economy. Further, America's top 23 metro areas make up nearly half of its GDP.
Alexandr Trubetskoy created the map using 2013 data from an IHS Global Insight report on U.S. Metro economies. Each color on the map represents a quarter of America's roughly $16 trillion economy.
It was a revision of his original map below that was shared widely on social media. He said he changed it due to criticism against his original methodology.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
[Alexandr Trubetskoy]
Other interesting facts from the report include:
– Out of the 100 largest economies in the world, 36 belong to U.S. metro areas.
– New York City ranks as the 13th largest economy in the world, surpassing countries like Spain, Mexico, and South Korea.
– New York and Los Angeles produce more than 46 of American states.
This article, by Kyle Kim, originally appeared in GlobalPost.
More from GlobalPost...
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Will the US keep aiding Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Republicans give Volodymyr Zelenskyy a 'cold shoulder' in D.C.
By Joel Mathis Published
-
Is it time to end the China trade war?
Talking Point The U.S. aims to dial down China trade tensions after years of tit-for-tat tariffs and bans on advanced technology sales
By Harold Maass Published
-
Priced out
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published