Williamson County sees fastest-growing GDP among large counties in the US

Williamson County reported the highest gross domestic product year-over-year growth in 2019, making it the fastest-growing economy among large counties in the country, according to estimates released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis in December.

The county was one of 2,848 counties in the U.S. to see positive real GDP year over year, data shows. Another 612 counties saw a decrease, and 17 remained unchanged, it said.

Williamson County reported a 6% increase in GDP between 2018 and 2019, to which the BEA attributes the durable goods manufacturing industry as the leading contributor to the county’s growth, it said.

Fellow Texas county Midland County was named the fastest-growing medium county in 2019 with 13.9% growth, it said. The BEA attributed the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industry as the leading contributor to Midland County’s growth.

A large county is defined by those with populations greater than 500,000 in 2019, and a medium county is defined as those with populations between 100,000 and 500,000 in 2019, the report said.

The GDP is the value of goods and services produced within a county, the report said. The size of a county's economy as measured by the GDP varies considerably across the United States. For example, in 2019, the total level of real GDP ranged from $22.9 million in Petroleum County, Montana, to $726.9 billion in Los Angeles County, California, it said.