Introduction: California Download PDF
California leads the United States in economic activity, with a GDP of over $1.7 trillion.
The strength of the Californian economy resides not only in its sheer size, but also in its diversity of industries such as agriculture, manufacturing, biotechnology, aerospace-defense, and tourism. This eclectic range of industries is supported by California’s endowment of natural resources including timber, petroleum, and natural gas. One industry that has continued to be one of the major contributors to California’s economy is agriculture. With 88,000 farms and ranches, agriculture provides 1 in 10 jobs and generates $32 billion annually, with $100 billion in related economic activity. One important developing issue to the industry is the availability of water. As California is greatly dependent on irrigation, water shortages will become a challenge for the sustainability of agriculture in the state.
Government
Symbols
State Seal: |
State Quarter: |
Time Zones:
| Standard Time | GMT-8 | |
| Daylight-Saving Time | GMT-7 | |
Statistics
- Per Capita Real GDP :
- $42,376
- Population:
- 36,756,700
- Percent of People Under Poverty Level:
- 13.3%
- Per Capita Personal Income:
- $38,956
- Percent of Population with a Bachelor's Degree:
- 18.7%
- Total Exports:
- $134,152,000,000
Top 5 Export Partner Countries
Mexico
Canada
Japan
China
Korea, South
Top 5 Export Merchandise
Transportation Equipment Sales
Computers and Electronic Products Sales
Computers and Electronic Products Manufacturing
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
Fabricated Metal Products Manufacturing
Major Cities
Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose
Major Airports
| Airport Name | City | |
| FAT | Fresno Yosemite International | Fresno |
| LAX | Los Angeles International | Los Angeles |
| MHR | Sacramento Mather | Sacramento |
Main Ports:
Humboldt, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Port Hueneme, Redwood City, Richmond, San Diego, San Francisco, Stockton
Corporations
| Company | Fortune 1000 Rank: | Revenues ($millions) | Headquarter City |
| Chevron | 4 | 200,567 | San Ramon |
| Hewlett-Packard | 14 | 91,658 | Palo Alto |
| McKesson | 18 | 88,050 | San Francisco |
| Wells Fargo | 41 | 47,979 | San Francisco |
| Safeway | 56 | 40,185 | Pleasanton |