Useful Stats: Industry contributions to county-level GDP

Exploring gross domestic product (GDP) at the county level offers a more detailed look at where industries are located and how they shape local economies, especially in smaller or more rural counties often overlooked at higher geographic levels. SSTI has provided similar analyses at the state and metropolitan levels, yet county-level data can reveal micro-level trends, showing local patterns that broader numbers might hide. Such refined looks can help TBED and innovation policy approaches to be more surgical in their application.

To help guide that refinement, this edition of Useful Stats uses Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) data to map and illustrate differences in county-level GDP broken down by private industries.

Figure 1 below provides a detailed map of the dominant industries by GDP contribution across all U.S. counties in 2023 for which data is available. The controls under the title of the figure can be used to toggle between the largest and second largest contributor to private industry GDP within each U.S. county.

By visualizing the geographic distribution of the largest industries in each county, the reader can spot trends immediately. For example, in 2023, counties from along the central Great Lakes region down to the south, encompassing many counties in Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama, among others, show a pronounced dominance of manufacturing relative to other private industries. 

Many counties in urban population centers, particularly along the coasts, tended to be led by finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing in 2023. On the other hand, agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting heavy counties are concentrated along the Great Plains region, home to many less-populated counties often overlooked by policies focused on sectors drawn at the metropolitan and state levels.

This detailed breakdown serves as a valuable tool for adjusting localized economic development strategies and allocating resources by highlighting the unique industry mix present in each region.

Of the counties with available data, the most prominent top private industry by GDP in 2023 was the sector including finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing, with 957 counties. Manufacturing followed closely with 895, then a drop to third place being agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting in 482 counties and mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction in 186 counties. 

A note of caution in drawing comparisons or assuming similarity across counties and regions: counties vary significantly size and scale—demographically, geographically and economically. Thus, the data is best used as a general guide rather than for direct comparisons.

Additionally, while the largest industry by county reveals clear geographic trends, when looking at the second largest sector, there is much more variation.

Figure 1: Top industries by contribution to private industry GDP, by county, 2023

Single year data provides important snapshots of a local economy, but policymakers and practitioners alike need trends over time to dictate action; Figures 2 and 3 provide this in two fashions. 

Figure 2 includes a chart for each U.S. county showcasing a breakdown of private industry GDPs for the most current year of data, 2023, as well as five, ten, and twenty years prior—this figure is best for comparing changes in industry GDP makeup for a single county over time.

Figure 3 includes up to six column charts, each displaying data for a single county and private industry. The displayed counties default to the first six by alphabetic order, but can be adjusted by clicking anywhere in the “Enter counties to show” box by scrolling or typing the name of the desired county or counties before clicking to select each. This figure best compares a single sector over time between one or more counties. 

Note that only data for 2004, 2014, 2019, and 2023 are used, and thus the data displayed is not evenly linear.

Figure 2: Industry GDP breakdown of counties by selected years

Figure 3: Industry GDP breakdown of counties by private industry

This page was prepared by SSTI using Federal funds under award ED22HDQ3070129 from the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economic Development Administration or the U.S. Department of Commerce.