California's imports and exports of goods 2017-2025

California is the richest state of the United States. The state’s trade volume is currently about 58 billion U.S. dollars, with imports making about 75 percent of this value. Compared to Texas, the second-largest state after itself, California exported less goods to the rest of the world over this period.

California’s economic contribution

California’s economic output places the state at the top in the United States. Measured by GDP, California contributed 3.2 trillion U.S. dollars to the U.S. economy, 50 percent more than that of Texas. On a per capita basis, California’s GDP corresponds to almost 83 thousand U.S. dollars in real terms.

Tech companies and wages in California

California is the home to technology powerhouses of the United States. The world’s highest capping tech companies such as Apple and Google were founded and headquartered in California. According to a 2023 study, Silicon Valley was also the leading hub that offered the highest wages to tech workers. On average, a tech employee earned around 142 thousand dollars working for a Silicon Valley company.