Which US state had the highest GDP per capita in 2025?
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Executive summary
Available 2025 reporting and BEA releases show New York state listed with the highest GDP per capita among states at about $117,332, while the District of Columbia — counted separately from states — far outstrips any state with roughly $263,220 per capita [1] [2] [3]. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis provides the underlying state GDP series used in these rankings; contemporary summaries and data visualizations echo New York, Massachusetts, and Washington near the top of state per‑person output in 2024–25 [4] [5] [1].
1. What reporters mean by “highest GDP per capita”
When outlets say a state has the “highest GDP per capita” they are comparing current‑dollar gross domestic product divided by resident population; federal BEA state estimates supply the raw GDP and population inputs [5] [4]. Visual Capitalist and other compilers highlight that the District of Columbia’s economy yields a per‑person GDP far above all states, but most media and lists single out the top state — New York — when the District is excluded [2] [1].
2. The short answer: New York leads among states in 2025
Multiple compilations and reporting summarizing BEA figures list New York with the highest state GDP per capita — about $117,332 — for the period reflected in 2024–25 coverage, with Massachusetts (~$110,561) and Washington state (~$108,468) following [1] [3]. Those same sources repeatedly identify New York as the top state when analysts remove the District of Columbia from state rankings [1] [6].
3. DC vs. states: why the capital skews the picture
Visual Capitalist and others show the District of Columbia’s per‑person GDP near $260,000 — more than double the top state — because Washington, D.C., concentrates federal payrolls, professional services, and a small residential base; such concentration inflates per‑capita measures compared with larger states [2]. Lists that aim to compare “states” will therefore often exclude DC or report it separately; the sources above consistently make that distinction [2] [1].
4. How reliable are these numbers and where they come from
The underlying statistics come from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis state GDP releases and periodic revisions; BEA’s March and June 2025 releases provided revised annual and quarterly state GDP and personal‑income series that feeds media rankings [4] [7] [5]. Compilations from data sites and news aggregators mirror BEA outputs but can differ in rounding, timing, or whether they report calendar‑year or latest‑quarter annualized values [8] [9].
5. Alternate viewpoints and caveats the data don’t show
Per‑capita GDP measures average output per resident; they do not measure household income, distribution, cost of living, or where headline GDP is earned versus where workers live — issues the sources note when contrasting metropolitan concentration and industry mix [1] [2]. Available sources do not mention detailed county‑level commuting adjustments or post‑June 2025 revisions that could nudge rankings; BEA revisions are routine and can change exact figures [4] [7].
6. Why New York ranks high: industry concentration and Manhattan
Analysts in the provided sources attribute New York’s high per‑capita GDP to concentrated high‑value sectors — finance, media, real estate — especially in Manhattan, which produces a disproportionately large share of state output relative to its residential population [6] [1]. That industry mix drives per‑person productivity measures higher than in many larger, more diversified states [1].
7. How to treat subsequent updates and data nuance
For definitive, up‑to‑date confirmation consult the BEA’s state GDP pages and the specific BEA releases cited; compilers (Visual Capitalist, BEA summaries, and data aggregators) all draw from those releases and will reflect later revisions [5] [4] [2]. If you need an exact numeric table or a BEA time series, the BEA data portal is the primary source cited in contemporary reporting [5].
Limitations: This review relies on the supplied sources and their cited BEA releases; available sources do not mention any BEA post‑June 2025 corrections that might alter the state‑rank ordering [4] [7].