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Utah ranks No. 2 nationally for GDP growth

(Trent Nelson | Tribune file photo) Amazon's fulfillment center in Salt Lake City, April 17, 2019.

(Trent Nelson | Tribune file photo) Amazon's fulfillment center in Salt Lake City, April 17, 2019.

Utah just ranked No. 2 in the nation for growth in its quarterly gross domestic product, perhaps giving extra meaning to the state flag that depicts a hive full of busy bees beneath the motto of “industry.”

The state’s gross domestic product — the market value of goods and services produced by the labor and property — grew by 3.2% between the second and third quarters of 2019, according to data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The only state with higher growth was Texas, at 4.0%. The lowest in the nation was Delaware, the only state that showed no growth at all.

Utah’s GDP growth rate was 52% higher than the national rate of 2.1%.

The GDP in Utah increased from $187.4 billion in the second quarter last year to $189.8 billion in the third quarter.

The bureau reported that about 16% of Utah’s gains came from the “professional, scientific and technical services” sector; about 15% from information industries; 12% from retail trade; and 9% each from health care and from nondurable goods manufacturing.

Some industrial sectors in Utah produced less than the previous quarter, including finance and insurance, utilities, and agriculture.

(Courtest of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) Map of gross domestic product change between the 2nd and 3rd quarters of 2019.