We posted a map a while ago that posited how each state would rank in GDP if it had to fend for itself on the world stage as its own country.
Here’s another one on that theme.
Economist Mark Perry from the American Enterprise Institute put together a map that replaces each state with a country that has roughly the same size economy.
In the case of Maine, that’s Guatemala.
The Pine Tree state’s 2013 state GDP was tallied at $54.76 billion in 2013, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Guatemala’s was $53.8 billion in 2013, according to the World Bank.
It’s worth noting that the numbers are outdated. Perry says he’s updating it this month with 2014 state GDP data.
But the map puts in context the enormity of the US economy.
As Business Insider points out:
America’s largest state economy is California. For 2013, the Golden State’s GDP was about $2.05 trillion, roughly the same as Brazil’s GDP ($2.25 trillion). But Brazil’s population is about 200.4 million, while California’s is just 38.8 million — meaning California produces about the same as Brazil with about 80% fewer people.
And that echoes the good news about Maine’s comparison: We’re way more productive than Guatemala. The state’s per capita GDP was $38,525 in 2013, whereas Guatemala’s was less than 1/10th that, at $3,340.
