GDP Per Capita: Is Atlantic Canada Keeping Up?

On a per capita basis, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) can look quite different depending on the particular U.S. state or Canadian province you live in. Different economies, resources, industries and policy environments (along with how many people live in the region) all contribute to the statistic. 

Thanks to healthy finance, technology and entertainment sectors, New York, Massachusetts, and California rank near the top of the pack. On the northern side of the border, Canadian provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan benefit from strong energy and agriculture sectors. 

Move out east, however, and the Atlantic Canadian provinces consistently rank near the bottom on this metric. Historically dependent on resource extraction, tourism, and fisheries, Atlantic provinces have struggled in the past to diversify their economies in a meaningful enough way to keep up.

Now, with an ambitious nation building view to the future, is it possible for Atlantic Canada to capitalize on a strategic opportunity? The potential is there; we’ll wait and see on the execution.