Mark C. White, State Specialist for Labor and Workforce Development and Interim Director of IPP, shone a spotlight on Missouri's static economy in a report entitled "Gross Domestic Product Trends in Missouri" last month. The brief highlights important GDP trends for Missouri and compares its progress against neighboring states and US Metro regions growthwise since the recession. Some key takeaways are that the St.Louis region is Missouri's economic anchor, Missouri lags behind other Midwestern states, and rural counties have not recovered from the recession. On the upside, Missouri ranked 22nd for the largest economy by GDP, 64% of Missouri's counties experienced positive GDP growth, and Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate accounted for almost 20% of the state's economy in 2018.