These are percent growths. Kokomo, IN has the 10.1% growth, huge!, but in the 365th largest MSA. Meanwhile, New York is the MSA with the largest GDP but is the only the 98 fastest growing in terms of %. In terms of (thousand) dollars, from the same website:
MSA GDP %growth $growth Kokomo 5,078,730 10.1 512,951 NY 2,163,208,840 2.5 54,080,221
Which is a more vibrant economy? Where should I go if I want to start a business or find a job? I would pick NY despite the “slow” growth.
A brilliant Mexican college student from a poor local family that I have been mentoring in mathematics and engineering (he is focused on advance quantum computing AI algorithms) got an internship with Facebook in Menlo Park last Summer and came back not too impressed by Facebook (they were on their way to their immersive META faceplant) but was on fire from his exposure to Silicon Valley. “I go to a random bar in Palo Alto or Menlo Park in the evening, and even with my poor English” (he is more shy than poor in English) “found myself in conversations where I learned more in a few hours than I do in College in a year.” He met friends. He networked.
He graduates with Bachelor of Science here in Mexico this June, and then will be working as a highly paid intern with Microsoft in Seattle for the summer. He is considering going on after that to either Oxford (quantum computing hot spot) or Oulu, Finland ("Silicon Valley in concentrated form in the snows at the northern end of the Gulf of Bothnia ").
The “Vibe” matters. Where the vibe is, it definitely boosts the costs of living.
Oulu is a perfect reaction to that problem as it has an insanely smart cocky vibe but still comparatively low costs. Would you want to live near the Arctic Circle in a city that commutes to work in the dark on bikepaths riding along with studded snow tires? I have never enjoyed a high tech spot more in my life. The guys I was consulting with there (on an encrypted communication system for Saudi Arabia) were thrilled that besides the bizarre algebra that they hired me for I loved cross country skiing, and so immediately invited me to join them for “a fun weekend practicing to kill Russian invaders!” in the snowy forests to the Northeast of the city.
d fb
OK - Call me an oddball if you wish 
'38Packard
I’m just making the point that the reason red states are doing well economically is because the blue states have been so successful that red states are the only places one can find cheap labor and affordable housing. It is a microcosm of what happened at the country level. The economic success of the United States meant that it could no longer compete with third world nations in industries that used cheap labor. Similarly, the economic success of California means that it is now cheaper to manufacture stuff in Tennessee.
On the other hand, in what states are the technological innovations driving the US economy occurring? I don’t think it is the red ones most of the time. And in those exceptional cases when a disruptive technology emerges from a red state, it invariably comes from the bluest parts of that state. From Austin TX, or the Research Triangle of NC, or any of the other major university towns.
What drives innovation is diversity of thought. It comes from brainstorming in a room filled with people who are different. It comes from nonconformists. It comes from educational systems that trust that their students can handle challenging ideas that question the status quo. It doesn’t come from the Desantis philosophy of conservative group think where new ideas are dangerous.
So yes, red states are doing well economically relative to the past and that is a good thing. But it doesn’t look to me like they are driving the U.S. economic train. I think it is more like they are along for the ride. The future of the US economy is still mostly shaped by what happens in states like California and New York and in cities like Boston and Chicago. I’m glad that Idaho is growing its GDP, but I am pretty sure that it is not a destination state for most MIT graduates.
Where is LA county on that list? I do not understand why it is missing.
Wasn’t it #1? Although it almost looked like a header.
JimA
Thanks, I skipped the “header”.
Companies, not people. 
BTW, Boston was one of my favorite cities. I learned to sail at MIT on the Charles River. I never liked sports much but it was a requirement for graduation. Swimming was the least bothersome so I went to the swimming pool and asked the coach how to join. “Do 20 laps” (I don’t remember the actual number). I did the laps and went back to the coach. “Coach, I did 20 laps, what should I do now?” “Do 20 more.” I did 20 more and went back to the coach… “Do 20 more.”
I don’t think so. I think I saw a sailing pavilion. I think I’ll give it a try.
At the sailing pavilion. “I would like to join the sailing team.” They gave me a broom and told me to sweep the pavilion. “Sweep the pavilion?” “Yes, sweep the pavilion.” Soon they were explaining to me the art of sailing with a model sailboat and a fan.
The Captain
And that is obviously fine for you. However, there are a lot more people voting otherwise – voting with their feet. Once again, look at the delta, the change. Look to see which states are gaining the most people and gaining representatives in the House. It certainly wasn’t New York or California or Illinois; they all lost while Florida, Texas and North Carolina gained.
DB2
That manages to ignore business-friendly policies put in place at the state level. Things such as lower taxes and regulation, right-to-work laws.
DB2
LA metro area shows up on the GDP growth list at position #158. New York managed to make into the top 100 at position #98.
DB2
The Standells wrote about our Charles River back in 1966. Thankfully it has been substantially cleaned up by now!
Dirty Water
I’m gonna tell you a story
I’m gonna tell you about my town
I’m gonna tell you a big fat story, baby
Aw, it’s all about my town
Yeah, down by the river
Down by the banks of the river Charles
Aw, that’s what’s happenin’, baby
That’s where you’ll find me
Along with lovers, muggers, and thieves
Aw, but they’re cool, too
Well, I love that dirty water
Oh, Boston, you’re my home
Oh, you’re the number one place
Frustrated women (I mean they’re frustrated)
Have to be in by 12 o’clock (oh, that’s a shame)
But I’m wishin’ and a-hopin’, oh
That just once those doors weren’t locked
I like to save time for my baby to walk around
Well, I love that dirty water
Oh, Boston, you’re my home, oh, yeah
'Cause I love that dirty water
Ooh, oh, Boston, you’re my home, oh, yeah
Well, I love that dirty water (I love it, baby)
I love that dirty water (I love Boston)
I love that dirty water (have you heard about the strangler?)
I love that dirty water (I’m the man, I’m the man)
I love that dirty water (oww)
I love that dirty water (come on, come on)
I love that dirty water (come on)
I love that dirty…
Cheers!
'38Packard
Since these policies have been a characteristic of Red States for decades while the growth in their GDP is a post-pandemic phenomenon, I wonder why you think these policies are relevant. Far more likely that the economic resurgence of the Red States is a direct consequence of Biden economics.
Red state economies are generally based on agriculture and manufacturing. Biden’s policies stimulated the growth of manufacturing. Ergo, Red States benefited.
In addition, it is well known that Blue States pay more in taxes than they receive in government spending while the reverse is true for Red States. This means that as government spending increases more money flows from the Blue States to the Red States. Spending on social and economic programs increased after the pandemic, which means that Red States have recently received a lot more “welfare” from Blue States.
Finally, economic analysis for the pre-pandemic decade from 2008-2018 shows that Blue States significantly outperformed Red States during this period. This raised housing costs in the Blue States to levels where now Red States became competitive despite being less attractive in other ways.
From what I can see, the resurgent economies of the Red States has very little to do with anything they’ve done. It is due to Biden’s economic policies and the past disproportionate economic success of the Blue States.
During my student days a favorite pastime was watching the submarine races on Memorial Dr.
The Captain
Back in the day we students would hit up the Hong Kong Restaurant on Mass Ave for their Pu Pu platter at 2AM. At the time we thought it was the epitome of fine dining.
I don’t recall the name of the Chinese restaurant where I learned to eat with chopsticks. If you asked for knife and fork you paid the whole bill which made you learn chop chop fast!
The Captain
The Hong Kong was representative of the good ol’ days when Chinese restaurants were borderline tacky, greasy, and served authentic Americanized Chinese food. I miss my young stomach that could handle anything I dumped into it.
In January of 1970, growing somewhat desperate with darkness cold howling winds I started the Harvard Sunshine Club in an unused section of the Weld Hall basement. I put up heat and UV lamps, invited other Californians and a few Arizonans and Floridians, and opened club meetings with
All the leaves are brown
And the sky is gray
I went for a walk
On a winters day
I’d be safe and warm
If I was in LA
California dreamin’
On such a winters day
Went to a church, yes I did
I stopped along the way
When I got down on my bended knees
And I began to pray
You know the preacher digs a call
‘Cause he knows I’m gunna stay
He knows I’m gunna stay, I told him so
California dreamin’
Oh, somebody hit me now
I wanna go so bad, yeah
'Cause all the leaves are brown
And the skies are gray, yeah
I went for a walk
On a winters day, ooh
I’d be safe and warm
If I was in LA
California dreamin’
On such a winters day
Such a winters day
On such a winters day
Yeah, yeah, whoa
California dreamin’
California dreamin’
Gotta, gotta, gotta get some sunshine
Before I blow my mind
Gotta get some sunshine
California dreamin’
California dreamin’
Ohh, let’s go there one day
California dreamin’, ohh
California dreamin’
Got to get to LA
Friend of mine told me there’s sunshine every day
California dreamin’, ohh
My members brought tropical fruit punches, weed, funny hats, and all of them mats and beach towels. We warmed up and kept our tans and played the Beachboys and scatterings of others of the time. We ended the meeting all packed up to go back to reality and sang along to Dirty Water with gusto.
Captain, I also learned to solo sail at the MIT docks. Once, screaming along with my rear end pegged outboard windward when a sudden wind shift dropped my nether end into that dirty water, which water surgically removed my idiotically placed wallet…with my California Drivers License.
d fb
It is? I remember the narrative about “the rust belt” in the 80s.
Steve
That’s ancient history. California used to have republican governors back then.
In the decade just before the pandemic Blue voting districts significantly outperformed Red ones from near parity in 2008 to a huge economic advantage in 2018:
I think it reasonable to assume this voting district disparity translates to the state level.
2019-2020 were the pandemic years, which skews everything. Then came the Biden presidency, coinciding with the rejuvenation of Red state economies.
Adding debt is okay if it is investment that leads to a higher future return. Our adding to the National debt over the pass few years is justified if the result is to revive Red state economies that have been moribund since 2008. Drbob presents evidence that this is exactly what is happening.
If we had an informed electorate, this election should be a democrat landslide.