How does Fresno’s post-pandemic economy compare in California? New data has answers

Tim Sheehan
·3 min read

Fresno County’s economy expanded slightly in 2021 compared to 2020, but the federal government’s latest estimates of economic activity indicates that it had not yet fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

The county’s gross domestic product – the overall value of goods and services – was more than $41.8 billion in 2021, an increase of almost a half billion dollars or 1.2% compared to 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic roiled the regional, state and national economy. But it was shy of 2019 levels by about $63 million.

Fresno County’s GDP ranked 14th among California’s 58 counties in sheer dollar value. Los Angeles County was tops in the state at almost $712 billion. But the 1.2% growth in GDP for the county ranked only 42nd in the state.

Figures released Thursday by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis show how annual GDP in Fresno County has moved over four years from 2018 through 2021:

  • 2018: $40,879,496,000.

  • 2019: $41,883,420,000.

  • 2020: $41,326,649,000.

  • 2021: $41,821,044,000.

GDP represents the total value of goods and services produced by a county’s economy after accounting for goods and services used up in production.

Agriculture represented the industry sector that saw the largest percentage decline in its contribution to Fresno County’s GDP between 2020 and 2021, a dip of almost 3.3%.

One broad industry sector that was hit hard in 2020 by pandemic restrictions was accommodations and food services. After a decline of almost 0.7% in its impact to Fresno County’s GDP in 2020, the sector’s contribution in 2021 rose to 0.63%.

In neighboring counties in the central San Joaquin Valley, GDP values dropped slightly from 2020 levels, a potential indicator of the lingering effects of the pandemic, as well as carryover of 2020’s business shutdowns and limitations intended to slow the spread of COVID-19:

  • In Tulare County, the GDP estimate dipped by about 1.5%, falling from $17.43 billion in 2020 to about $17.36 billion in 2021. The 2019 figure from before the pandemic was about $17.7 billion.

  • Merced County’s GDP slipped from $9.07 billion in 2020 to $8.99 billion in 2021, a decrease of about 0.9%. The 2019 estimate was just shy of $9.1 billion.

  • Kings County’s GDP went from $6.14 billion in 2020 to $6.07 billion in 2021, a decrease of about 1%. The 2019 estimate was was just under $6.1 billion.

  • In Madera County, the GDP fell by about 2.9%, sliding from $6.13 billion in 2020 to $5.95 billion in 2021. In pre-pandemic 2019, the figure was estimated at $6.15 billion.

The modest changes reported for Valley counties stand in contrast to more significant gains at the state and national level. California’s GDP of almost $2.9 trillion was an increase of about 7.8% compared to 2020. The U.S. estimate was , while the nationwide estimate climbed by 5.9%.