Chart Talk: Reimagining The USA

We tend to think of the US as a country made up of 50 states.  In reality though those 50 states could be broken down into regions and metropolitan areas to better explain how it is we actually live.  I reside in the Chicago area which is mostly in Illinois, yet most people here think of themselves as Chicagoans as opposed to much allegiance to the state.  States may have at one point defined us but today there are better ways.  In that manner, here's a cool image from the website Visual Capitalist that shows our Gross Domestic Product by metropolitan areas.  {You can double-click on this map to get a larger picture of it.} 

You can see that metropolitan clusters are where much of the economic growth and innovation are occurring.  According to the post, "80% of Americans live in cites-and the 10 largest metro areas alone combine for a whopping 34% of the country's total GDP". 

Back early next week.

Link:  Visual Capitalist.com "Map: Economic Might by U.S. Metro Area"