California growth outpaces U.S.

Forget about naysayers who claim that the state is stuck in neutral. Well, sort of forget about them. California's gross domestic product increased last year by 4.2 percent, placing it 13th (Idaho and Utah ranked first and second). That means the state grew faster than the nation as a whole. Real GDP per person was $41,663 in California, compared with the national average of $37,714. Of course, just because the totals are high doesn't mean that the dollars are being shared equally. Real estate and tech were big contributors to overall growth, which gives you an idea of who made out. Bureau of Economic Analysis