In discussions of statehood for Puerto Rico, questions about costs and benefits come up — for both sides. Puerto Rico would gain equal rights and full political representation and — like the 37 territories that have already transitioned to statehood — be better off economically. What would the United States gain?
What States Contribute
It’s generally acknowledged that having more states has enhanced the power and economic strength of the United States. Almost none of the territories were brought into the Union because they were wealthy and would bring wealth into the Union. The territories that became states during the Gold Rush, such as California, are an exception. Most states, including wealthy states like Hawaii and Alaska, were facing tough times when they were territories.
But Statista came up with a way to quantify the current economic contributions of the various states. The chart below shows each state’s share of the U.S. GDP. The darker the state, the more it contributes to the national GDP.
Hawaii and Alaska might be wealthy states in terms of average income, but we can see that they are not big contributors. California pours the most into the national GDP, followed by Texas, New York, Florida, and Illinois – all states with relatively large populations.
Several different sources provide similar maps showing the extent to which each state relies on the federal government for funding. This is another way to show the economic value of the various states. In this case, the darker states are the costliest ones. California, providing the most for the national GDP, is quite pale; it doesn’t rely heavily on federal funding. West Virginia, Mississippi, New Mexico, Alabama, Alaska, Maine, Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota are among the most dependent states — and they don’t contribute much to the GDP, either.
