The Bureau of Economic Analysis put out a information release showing the GDP slowdowns of U.S. metro areas in 2008.

The dark blue is the biggest increase in GDP, the darker tan is the biggest decrease.

New statistics released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis show that the slowdown in U.S. economic growth was widespread: 60 percent of metropolitan areas saw economic growth slow down or reverse. Real GDP growth slowed in 220 of the nation’s 366 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in 2008 with downturns in construction, manufacturing, and finance and insurance restraining growth in many metropolitan areas. Growth in real U.S. GDP by metropolitan area slowed from 2.0 percent in 2007 to 0.8 percent in 2008.

The BEA reports that the SouthWest had the worst slow down but very surprising, they said it is due to a decline in non-durable goods manufacturing.

Even weirder, the BEA claims Silicon valley had the highest per capita GDP gain and it was almost twice any other city region.

I have a hard time believing both of these, since construction, the housing bubble was heavily concentrated in the South West plus workers in Silicon valley are continually being forced out of their careers. So, did the BEA count foreign guest workers in that per capita calculation? Or is this just executive pay spread and the lucky few erroneously distributed to be per person?

The site has more maps. Here is the SouthWest region: