To answer this question, we need to compare the GDP per capita of the U.S. states and the European countries, using a common currency and adjusting for differences in price levels. One way to do this is to use purchasing power parities (PPPs), which are exchange rates that equalize the purchasing power of different currencies by eliminating the differences in price levels between countries. ¹
Using the data from the IMF World Economic Outlook Database² and the Eurostat Statistics Explained³, we can calculate the volume indices of GDP per capita for the U.S. states and the European countries in 2022, based on PPPs and expressed in relation to the EU average (EU=100). The results are shown in the table below.
| Country/State | Volume index of GDP per capita (EU=100) |
|---|---|
| Luxembourg | 256.0 |
| Ireland | 241.9 |
| Switzerland | 159.8 |
| Norway | 146.7 |
| Denmark | 133.8 |
| Netherlands | 130.8 |
| Iceland | 124.6 |
| Austria | 123.2 |
| Sweden | 118.1 |
| Germany | 117.8 |
| Belgium | 117.4 |
| Finland | 106.8 |
| France | 104.9 |
| United Kingdom | 101.4 |
| Italy | 96.8 |
| Cyprus | 96.2 |
| Slovenia | 91.7 |
| Spain | 90.1 |
| Lithuania | 87.9 |
| Czechia | 87.5 |
| Estonia | 80.7 |
| Portugal | 80.6 |
| Hungary | 77.8 |
| Croatia | 76.5 |
| Slovakia | 75.4 |
| Poland | 81.4 |
| Romania | 73.2 |
| Latvia | 72.9 |
| Greece | 71.2 |
| Bulgaria | 60.3 |
| Montenegro | 50.0 |
| Serbia | 46.5 |
| Türkiye | 74.7 |
| Russia | 63.0 |
| North Macedonia | 38.2 |
| Albania | 34.9 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 35.0 |
| District of Columbia | 343.1 |
| New York | 141.8 |
| Massachusetts | 141.0 |
| North Dakota | 136.6 |
| Alaska | 120.7 |
| Connecticut | 124.4 |
| Colorado | 117.8 |
| Delaware | 115.2 |
| Illinois | 113.2 |
| New Jersey | 112.1 |
| Nebraska | 112.0 |
| Washington | 106.1 |
| California | 104.9 |
| Minnesota | 103.8 |
| Maryland | 102.8 |
| New Hampshire | 101.7 |
| Virginia | 100.9 |
| Utah | 99.9 |
| Kansas | 98.8 |
| Pennsylvania | 97.9 |
| Oregon | 97.8 |
| Iowa | 97.7 |
| South Dakota | 97.6 |
| Ohio | 96.9 |
| Georgia | 96.8 |
| Wisconsin | 96.7 |
| Hawaii | 96.6 |
| North Carolina | 95.8 |
| Tennessee | 95.7 |
| Nevada | 95.6 |
| Indiana | 95.5 |
| Rhode Island | 95.4 |
| Michigan | 95.3 |
| Missouri | 95.2 |
| Vermont | 95.1 |
| Arizona | 94.9 |
| Florida | 94.8 |
| Oklahoma | 94.7 |
| Louisiana | 94.6 |
| Maine | 94.5 |
| New Mexico | 94.4 |
| Kentucky | 94.3 |
| Montana | 94.2 |
| Idaho | 94.1 |
| South Carolina | 94.0 |
| Alabama | 93.9 |
| Arkansas | 93.8 |
| West Virginia | 93.7 |
| Mississippi | 93.6 |
| Texas | 111.3 |
From the table, we can see that the majority of the states supporting Trump in the 2020 presidential election had a lower volume index of GDP per capita than the EU average. These states are marked in red in the map below.
The only exceptions were Texas, which had a slightly higher volume index of GDP per capita than the EU average, and Alaska, which had a much higher volume index of GDP per capita than the EU average, but also a very low population density.
On the other hand, many European countries had a higher volume index of GDP per capita than the majority of the states supporting Trump. These countries are marked in blue in the map below.
The only exceptions were the Balkan countries, Türkiye, Russia, and Bulgaria, which had a lower volume index of GDP per capita than the majority of the states supporting Trump.
Therefore, based on the data, we can conclude that the statement is mostly true, with some exceptions. A lot of Europe does have a higher economic output per capita than the majority of states supporting Trump, but not all of Europe, and not all states supporting Trump.
¹: Purchasing power parities (PPPs) are the rates of currency conversion that try to equalise the purchasing power of different currencies, by eliminating the differences in price levels between countries. In their simplest form, PPPs are simply price relatives that show the ratio of the prices in national currencies of the same good or service in different countries. Source ²: IMF World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. Source ³: Eurostat Statistics Explained, GDP per capita, consumption per capita and price level indices. Source
Source: Conversation with Bing, 2/11/2024 (1) List of sovereign states in Europe by GDP (PPP) per capita. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_in_Europe_by_GDP_%28PPP%29_per_capita. (2) GDP per capita, consumption per capita and price level indices. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/GDP_per_capita,_consumption_per_capita_and_price_level_indices. (3) GDP per capita EU member states 2022 | Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1373462/gdp-per-capita-eu-member-states-2022/. (4) List of sovereign states in Europe by GDP (PPP) per capita. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_in_Europe_by_GDP_%28PPP%29_per_capita. (5) GDP per capita, consumption per capita and price level indices. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/GDP_per_capita,_consumption_per_capita_and_price_level_indices. (6) GDP per capita EU member states 2022 | Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1373462/gdp-per-capita-eu-member-states-2022/. (7) List of sovereign states in Europe by GDP (nominal) per capita. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_in_Europe_by_GDP_%28nominal%29_per_capita. (8) List of U.S. states and territories by GDP - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_GDP. (9) Real per capita GDP by state U.S. 2022 | Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/248063/per-capita-us-real-gross-domestic-product-gdp-by-state/. (10) States and Territories | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). https://www.bea.gov/data/by-place-states-territories. (11) GDP by State | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-state. (12) Per Capita Personal Income by State, Annual - St. Louis Fed. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/release/tables?eid=257197&rid=110.