See which California counties saw the best economic growth over the past decade

California’s economy grew faster than the rest of the nation’s in 2018, expanding by about 4.3 percent.

The state’s real gross domestic product — the total value of goods produced and services provided, adjusted for inflation — rose about 34 percent from 2009 to 2018. But the growth has not been uniform. New estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis show huge differences in economic growth between many counties.

The Bay Area continues to be the state’s economic engine. Real GDP in Santa Clara County grew by about 10 percent from 2018 to 2019. The size of the county’s economy has doubled in the last 10 years, even after adjusting for inflation.

Economic growth was robust throughout the Sacramento region last year, but particularly in Placer County, where real GDP jumped by almost 5 percent, federal estimates show

Placer County’s economy has grown by about 50 percent in the last decade, after adjusting for inflation. The real estate and construction sectors in the county showed strong gains last year, as did the professional services, retail and health care sectors.

Sacramento County’s real GDP grew by about 3.3 percent last year, and by almost 19 percent over the last decade. Similar to Placer County, the real estate, construction, manufacturing, health care and retail sectors showed substantial growth.

Elsewhere in the Central Valley, Stanislaus County’s economy grew by 5.3 percent last year, faster than several counties in the Bay Area. The manufacturing sector in the county posted strong gains, as did real estate and health care. Real GDP in Stanislaus County has risen about 26 percent in the last decade.

Fresno County’s economy grew almost as fast, with real GDP rising 4.4 percent from 2017 to 2018. The agricultural sector was a large driver of that growth, federal data show. The county’s economy has grown about 21 percent in the last decade.

Merced County lagged behind most of the state last year. Real GDP in the county shrunk by 0.7 percent from 2017 to 2018. While the construction and manufacturing sectors of the county expanded, the government sector shrunk, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Even so, Merced County’s economy has grown by about 23 percent in the last decade.

Each of the 10 counties in California with the largest economies saw growth last year, with gains in real GDP ranging from under 3 percent in Orange County to more than 10 percent in Santa Clara County.

Phillip Reese is The Bee’s data specialist and teaches at Sacramento State: 916-321-1137.