We're not going to solve the debate over whether to use nominal GDP or PPP-adjusted GDP here, but let's just say that it's hardly settled which is more reflecti

We're not going to solve the debate over whether to use nominal GDP or PPP-adjusted GDP here, but let's just say that it's hardly settled which is more reflective of a country being rich or poor. I also don't know if I'd trust the conservative-leaning Tax Foundation to provide an unbiased estimate of state PPP. Doing a Google search for "GDP PPP of US states" and clicking through some citations brings up a very different set of rankings that WaPo cites [1]. It places California in the top 15 along with the other economic powerhouses, right between Switzerland and Norway, not exactly known for being poor countries. UBS [2] says that Los Angeles has the highest purchasing power of any major city in the world! Who's right? Clearly it highly depends on one's methodology. [1]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/08/26/if-the-uk-was-a-u-s-state-it-would-be-the-second-poorest-behind-alabama-and-before-mississippi/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/08/26/i... [2]: https://www.ubs.com/microsites/prices-earnings/en/explore/?category=Domestic%20Purchasing%20Power&indicator=General_Domestic%20Purchasing%20Power_Net%20(New%20York%20%3D%20100)&split=false https://www.ubs.com/microsites/prices-earnings/en/explore/?c...