L.A.'s super-slow recovery

Gross domestic product in the Los Angeles metro area did grow by 1.7 percent in 2010, which is at least an improvement over the previous year when growth contracted by 4.4 percent. But the Commerce Department numbers show L.A. to be lagging badly behind Boston (+4.8 percent), New York (+4.7 percent), and Washington, D.C. (+3.6 percent). Overall, U.S. GDP by metro area was up 2.5 percent in 2010. Durable goods manufacturing led much of the growth, while construction, not surprisingly, was weak. Map below lays out the winners and losers.