4. California
GDP per Capita: $104,916
The most populous state in the nation, California is known worldwide for its entertainment industry, with many of its highest-paying jobs — and richest celebrity couples — found in Hollywood and the surrounding area.
Since this is the most populous state, high levels of employment are in education and health services, while labor statistics indicate large segments of the population also work in construction, agriculture, and tech.
California’s Silicon Valley hosts many of the world’s major tech and social media companies, with organizations including Apple, Twitter, Google, Yahoo, and PayPal all employing people in large numbers.
There’s also a thriving economy based around travel and tourism, bringing in well over $1 billion according to 2019 data while providing jobs for over 1 million of California’s population and contributing to its status as one of the wealthiest states in the nation.
With a state GDP of $3,120,386,000 and a median income of $80,440, California has considerable wealth among its population, as well as some of the highest overall salaries in the world.
Despite its overall high average household median income, unemployment rate and poverty rate data in some areas of California are staggeringly high, with many residents lacking basic health care despite living alongside some of the richest people in the world.