Credit Or Blame? Whitmer Boasts On Michigan’s Post-COVID Economic Performance

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis recently released state-by-state numbers for gross domestic product, showing Michigan’s economy grew by 7.6% in the first quarter of the year. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer credited her COVID policies.

In a statement, the governor said, “Because of the decisive actions we took early on to combat COVID led by science and data, we saved lives and helped our economy recover more quickly.”

Michigan’s GDP is down 0.2% from where it was in the fourth quarter of 2019, the last quarter before the pandemic began. Gross domestic product is defined as the total value of goods produced and services provided in a specific time period.

Michigan is also one of only eight states that is not back to pre-pandemic levels. Compared with neighboring states, it is the only one to have a GDP decline from the fourth quarter of 2019 to the first quarter of 2021:

• Indiana is up 3.2%, or 10th among states
• Illinois is up 1.8%, or 26th among states
• Ohio is up 1.4%, or 33rd among states
• Wisconsin is up 1%, or 39th among states
• Michigan is down 0.2%, or 44th among states