Which States Thrived Economically In The First Quarter Of 2026?

There is a lot of debate about the US economy and whether it’s expanding or contracting. But in that general debate, they don’t normally talk about individual state economies like ours here in Washington. 

There’s news to report. 

The Commerce Department says things are good for nearly every state in the union in 2026.  

According to msn.com,
‘Figures released Thursday by the department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis show that gross domestic product (GDP) increased in 46 states and Washington, D.C., in the first quarter of 2026. The BEA said that annualized growth reached as high as 4.5 percent’ 

That #1, 4.5% increase belongs to Washington State.  

All of this information comes from the most recent report on GDP growth in the first quarter of 2026. Nationally, the economy increased by 2.1% which is up from the previous estimate of 1.6% 

Now among the 46 states that did show real measurable growth in their GDP in the first quarter, Washington State miraculously showed up number one with a 4.5% increase. This increase is attributed by the BEA, (Bureau of Economic Analysis) to the “information sector” of the Washington’s economy.  

Although there’s no immediate statistics available, that would indicate to me that much of that growth came from Western Washington’s Tech Industry.  

Other states on the list. 

Other states that excelled at economic growth in the first quarter included California, New Mexico, Utah, and Nevada. All those states had increases above the national average. 

In general, the BEA said, the improvements were based on increased investment and exports.  

Only three states had a decline in GDP in the first quarter, Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota. Delaware’s economy was flat in the first quarter. 

Estimates from the US government and private investors claim we should look forward to a 3% annual increase for 2026. Some of those private sector groups believe that continued investment in artificial intelligence will drive that increase. 

So how is Eastern Washington doing compared to Western Washington? I’m sure that somebody has the information out there that we can look at; I just don’t know where to find it. How about you.