2025 Metro Economies Report finds that cities account for 90.8% of national GDP, 88.2% of employment in U.S.

TAMPA, Florida —Today, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) released its 2025 Metro Economies Report, which details the economic situation and outlook for every metropolitan area in the United States. This new data, announced during the USCM’s 93rd Annual Meeting this week in Tampa, Florida, shows that cities continue to be the dominant drivers of economic activity in America and are responsible for the overwhelming share of the growth in the U.S. economy over the last year – accounting for 90.8% of national GDP. The Metro Economies Report, prepared by S&P Global Market Intelligence, also found that the contribution of metro economies to U.S. economic growth increased for the fifth consecutive year in 2025.

The full report, which includes data for every U.S. metro area, can be found here and key findings can be found here. With the release of the data, Scranton (PA) Mayor Paige Cognetti, chair of USCM’s Council on Metro Economies Standing Committee, released the following statement:

“America’s strength is in her cities. For another year, metro areas are powering the nation’s economic and job growth. Thanks to work by mayors, metro economies once again drove job gains and economic growth across the country. America’s cities continue to deliver results, foster innovation and propel our nation forward.”

Key Findings from the 2025 Metro Economies Report include:

  • In 2024, U.S. metro economies accounted for 90.8% of GDP.
  • S. metros accounted for 89.5% of personal income and 92.1% of wages and salaries in 2024.
  • Jobs in U.S. metro economies make of 88.2% of employment in the U.S.
  • Though all regions saw job gains through 2024, the overall pace of gains weakened across the country and unemployment rates rose.

Looking forward through the remainder of 2025 and into 2026, the report predicts that GDP growth will remain below potential due to the “expected fallout from tariffs, restrictive Federal Reserve policy, diminished tailwinds and a downward trend in equity values.” Trade uncertainty combined with restrictions on immigration “can also be detrimental to U.S. economic growth,” the report concludes.