The U.S. economy reported its worst quarterly decline in modern history during the COVID-19 pandemic, with gross domestic product shrinking at an annual rate of 31.4% in the second quarter. The economy bounced back in the third quarter, but efforts to contain the virus’s spread throughout 2020 still resulted in a 3.5% annual economic contraction in the United States.
Arriving on the heels of a historic period of growth, COVID-19 brought about a decline in gross domestic product in every state in the country. However, no two state economies are alike, and partially as a result, some states were hit far harder than others.
Minnesota’s annual GDP stands at $328.5 billion — 3.7% lower than it was in 2019. As was the case in many states, arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services was the fastest shrinking industry in Minnesota in 2020. Over the course of the year, as nonessential travel effectively ground to a halt in much of the country, the sector contracted by 26.1% in the state, posing a 0.8 percentage point drag on the state’s GDP growth.
As the state’s economy contracted, employment fell at an even faster rate. There were 207,000 fewer people working in Minnesota in 2020 than in 2019, a 6.9% reduction in jobs. Nationwide, employment fell by just 5.8% last year. Still, Minnesota’s job market is relatively strong with just a 4.1% unemployment rate, 2 percentage points below the 6.1% national rate.
States are ranked based on the percentage change in real GDP from 2019 to 2020. Data on GDP and industry-specific real GDP came from the BEA. Data on average annual employment and the seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate each came from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
| Rank | State | Change in GDP, 2020 (%) | April 2021 unemployment (%) | Change in nonfarm employment, 2020 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | -8.0 | 8.5 | -9.4 |
| 2 | Wyoming | -7.0 | 5.4 | -4.1 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | -6.1 | 4.3 | -4.9 |
| 4 | New York | -5.9 | 8.2 | -10.3 |
| 5 | West Virginia | -5.5 | 5.8 | -6.6 |
| 6 | Louisiana | -5.5 | 7.3 | -1.8 |
| 7 | Vermont | -5.4 | 2.9 | -9.3 |
| 8 | Michigan | -5.4 | 4.9 | -5.8 |
| 9 | Alaska | -4.9 | 6.7 | -8.7 |
| 10 | Tennessee | -4.9 | 5.0 | -17.5 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | -4.7 | 2.8 | -6.7 |
| 12 | Nevada | -4.6 | 8.0 | -10.4 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | -4.5 | 6.3 | -8.8 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | -4.5 | 3.9 | -6.3 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | -4.4 | 7.4 | 1.9 |
| 16 | Maine | -4.1 | 4.8 | -6.4 |
| 17 | Connecticut | -4.1 | 8.1 | -7.7 |
| 18 | New Jersey | -4.1 | 7.5 | -8.4 |
| 19 | South Carolina | -4.1 | 5.0 | -5.1 |
| 20 | Illinois | -4.0 | 7.1 | -7.1 |
| 21 | Ohio | -4.0 | 4.7 | -6.1 |
| 22 | Delaware | -3.9 | 6.4 | -6.0 |
| 23 | Massachusetts | -3.8 | 6.5 | -9.0 |
| 24 | Minnesota | -3.7 | 4.1 | -6.9 |
| 25 | Kentucky | -3.7 | 4.7 | -5.6 |
| 26 | Missouri | -3.6 | 4.1 | -4.8 |
| 27 | North Dakota | -3.5 | 4.2 | -6.7 |
| 28 | Texas | -3.5 | 6.7 | -4.3 |
| 29 | New Mexico | -3.1 | 8.2 | -6.7 |
| 30 | Indiana | -3.1 | 3.9 | -5.5 |
| 31 | Montana | -3.0 | 3.7 | -3.1 |
| 32 | Kansas | -3.0 | 3.5 | -4.6 |
| 33 | Florida | -2.9 | 4.8 | -5.2 |
| 34 | Oregon | -2.8 | 6.0 | -6.6 |
| 35 | Mississippi | -2.8 | 6.2 | -4.3 |
| 36 | California | -2.8 | 8.3 | -7.4 |
| 37 | Alabama | -2.7 | 3.6 | -4.3 |
| 38 | Maryland | -2.6 | 6.2 | -6.8 |
| 39 | Arkansas | -2.6 | 4.4 | -3.0 |
| 40 | Georgia | -2.5 | 4.3 | -4.6 |
| 41 | North Carolina | -2.5 | 5.0 | -4.3 |
| 42 | Virginia | -2.5 | 4.7 | -5.0 |
| 43 | Iowa | -2.3 | 3.8 | -5.1 |
| 44 | Nebraska | -2.1 | 2.8 | -3.6 |
| 45 | South Dakota | -1.7 | 2.8 | -3.4 |
| 46 | Colorado | -1.5 | 6.4 | -5.2 |
| 47 | Idaho | -1.1 | 3.1 | -0.7 |
| 48 | Arizona | -0.9 | 6.7 | -3.1 |
| 49 | Washington | -0.7 | 5.5 | -5.3 |
| 50 | Utah | -0.1 | 2.8 | -1.6 |
