Mapped: The Largest 15 U.S. Cities by GDP
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Mapped: The Largest 15 U.S. Cities by GDP

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map of u.s. cities by gdp

Mapped: The Largest 15 U.S. Cities by GDP

The United States has the largest GDP in the world in nominal terms, and urban areas are a major contributor to the country’s economic might. In fact, metropolitan areas account for roughly 90% of U.S. economic output.

In this visual we’ve ranked the economic output of the top 15 U.S. cities from New York City to Minneapolis, using data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The data covers 2021, which is the most recent release from BEA.

It’s important to note that the data considers entire surrounding metropolitan areas, so as an example, New York City includes neighboring population centers such as Newark, NJ, as well as Jersey City⁠—reaching a GDP of nearly $2 trillion .

Measuring a city’s economy at the metro level can provide a more accurate representation of its economic activity. This is because the metropolitan areas include not only the central city but also the surrounding suburban and rural areas that are economically connected to it .

America’s Economic Hubs

There are some obvious winners when it comes to the largest U.S. cities by GDP, including NYC, Los Angeles, Dallas, and San Francisco.

In the table below, we’ve listed each of the 384 metropolitan areas out of the dataset all the way down to last place, Sebring-Avon Park, Florida, alongside respective ranks and GDP:

Rank City GDP (in thousands)
#1 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA $1,992,779,274
#2 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $1,124,682,354
#3 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI $764,583,227
#4 San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA $668,677,573
#5 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV $607,628,505
#6 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $598,333,263
#7 Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX $537,066,232
#8 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH $531,671,846
#9 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $479,966,484
#10 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD $477,580,629
#11 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA $473,823,474
#12 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL $417,147,866
#13 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $410,418,579
#14 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ $316,090,586
#15 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI $296,969,112
#16 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI $283,660,258
#17 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $267,973,544
#18 Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO $253,399,051
#19 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD $222,967,241
#20 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $213,183,465
#21 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $207,866,150
#22 Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX $193,773,558
#23 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL $190,708,533
#24 St. Louis, MO-IL $187,569,544
#25 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA $186,570,323
#26 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN $171,737,526
#27 Pittsburgh, PA $168,021,049
#28 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL $167,279,974
#29 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN $163,031,737
#30 Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN $162,062,985
#31 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA $160,542,566
#32 Columbus, OH $154,509,800
#33 Kansas City, MO-KS $154,328,892
#34 Cleveland-Elyria, OH $147,637,827
#35 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX $144,384,474
#36 Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV $136,198,676
#37 Salt Lake City, UT $118,494,536
#38 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI $111,479,649
#39 Raleigh-Cary, NC $108,288,115
#40 Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC $107,067,798
#41 Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT $106,507,622
#42 Jacksonville, FL $101,367,263
#43 Richmond, VA $99,388,754
#44 Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT $98,751,750
#45 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA $96,913,356
#46 Oklahoma City, OK $86,662,243
#47 Memphis, TN-MS-AR $86,493,147
#48 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN $82,866,115
#49 New Orleans-Metairie, LA $81,829,573
#50 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY $76,991,435
#51 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY $73,995,509
#52 Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA $73,876,512
#53 Birmingham-Hoover, AL $70,874,148
#54 Rochester, NY $69,341,714
#55 Grand Rapids-Kentwood, MI $68,401,313
#56 Urban Honolulu, HI $67,383,319
#57 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $61,171,285
#58 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC $60,814,699
#59 Tulsa, OK $60,392,165
#60 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA $58,332,732
#61 New Haven-Milford, CT $57,541,201
#62 Madison, WI $56,636,713
#63 Baton Rouge, LA $56,199,218
#64 Worcester, MA-CT $54,941,620
#65 Knoxville, TN $52,343,257
#66 Greenville-Anderson, SC $52,328,843
#67 Bakersfield, CA $52,239,044
#68 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ $50,960,155
#69 Charleston-North Charleston, SC $50,704,392
#70 Tucson, AZ $50,231,611
#71 Fresno, CA $49,987,063
#72 Dayton-Kettering, OH $49,548,210
#73 Albuquerque, NM $49,480,431
#74 Columbia, SC $48,214,448
#75 Syracuse, NY $46,414,861
#76 Greensboro-High Point, NC $45,574,221
#77 North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL $44,746,013
#78 Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA $43,867,213
#79 Trenton-Princeton, NJ $43,633,044
#80 Boise City, ID $43,601,402
#81 Colorado Springs, CO $43,522,096
#82 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR $42,669,983
#83 Midland, TX $42,035,915
#84 Akron, OH $41,058,875
#85 Wichita, KS $40,586,374
#86 Toledo, OH $40,546,884
#87 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL $39,813,620
#88 Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, NY $39,375,465
#89 Portland-South Portland, ME $39,089,209
#90 Winston-Salem, NC $38,504,784
#91 El Paso, TX $37,507,586
#92 Springfield, MA $37,189,530
#93 Provo-Orem, UT $36,866,060
#94 Stockton, CA $36,790,065
#95 Reno, NV $35,471,910
#96 Ogden-Clearfield, UT $35,071,325
#97 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA $34,450,601
#98 Chattanooga, TN-GA $34,425,793
#99 Huntsville, AL $34,086,472
#100 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA $33,306,884
#101 Boulder, CO $33,182,418
#102 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL $33,144,404
#103 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR $33,102,945
#104 Vallejo, CA $33,100,194
#105 Lancaster, PA $33,048,548
#106 Lexington-Fayette, KY $32,851,535
#107 Manchester-Nashua, NH $32,729,580
#108 Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA $32,178,609
#109 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC $31,718,339
#110 Jackson, MS $30,785,111
#111 Salinas, CA $30,712,263
#112 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL $30,589,541
#113 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA $30,040,721
#114 Lansing-East Lansing, MI $29,363,629
#115 Ann Arbor, MI $28,604,834
#116 Anchorage, AK $28,210,676
#117 Modesto, CA $26,519,792
#118 Sioux Falls, SD $26,063,548
#119 Savannah, GA $25,681,434
#120 Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL $25,516,019
#121 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX $25,508,724
#122 Salisbury, MD-DE $25,194,103
#123 Fort Wayne, IN $25,156,180
#124 Corpus Christi, TX $24,937,471
#125 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL $24,603,801
#126 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX $24,407,762
#127 Fort Collins, CO $24,381,467
#128 Asheville, NC $24,350,043
#129 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL $24,309,017
#130 Fayetteville, NC $24,254,218
#131 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA $24,153,731
#132 Naples-Marco Island, FL $24,020,049
#133 Springfield, MO $23,930,761
#134 Mobile, AL $23,876,616
#135 Peoria, IL $23,599,643
#136 York-Hanover, PA $23,406,852
#137 Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA $23,284,271
#138 Lafayette, LA $22,650,406
#139 Lincoln, NE $22,492,557
#140 Greeley, CO $22,082,249
#141 Reading, PA $22,055,785
#142 Green Bay, WI $21,991,068
#143 Killeen-Temple, TX $21,967,641
#144 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC $21,787,862
#145 Salem, OR $21,487,178
#146 Evansville, IN-KY $21,248,968
#147 Gulfport-Biloxi, MS $21,177,139
#148 Port St. Lucie, FL $20,762,211
#149 Norwich-New London, CT $20,743,047
#150 Visalia, CA $20,580,771
#151 Montgomery, AL $20,250,047
#152 Canton-Massillon, OH $20,167,014
#153 Tallahassee, FL $20,148,962
#154 Cedar Rapids, IA $19,793,178
#155 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA $19,639,637
#156 Elkhart-Goshen, IN $19,271,838
#157 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL $18,899,397
#158 Eugene-Springfield, OR $18,848,436
#159 Gainesville, FL $18,353,884
#160 Roanoke, VA $18,297,657
#161 Wilmington, NC $18,203,444
#162 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $18,076,112
#163 Spartanburg, SC $17,914,096
#164 Kennewick-Richland, WA $17,836,850
#165 Fargo, ND-MN $17,706,417
#166 Flint, MI $17,234,628
#167 Longview, TX $17,134,932
#168 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI $17,031,977
#169 Rockford, IL $17,005,386
#170 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC $16,787,117
#171 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH $16,470,842
#172 Columbus, GA-AL $16,456,091
#173 Lubbock, TX $16,402,001
#174 Amarillo, TX $16,313,319
#175 Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA $16,245,024
#176 Appleton, WI $16,202,188
#177 Bellingham, WA $16,036,428
#178 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI $15,946,455
#179 Duluth, MN-WI $15,905,385
#180 College Station-Bryan, TX $15,896,707
#181 Lake Charles, LA $15,791,901
#182 Charlottesville, VA $15,762,678
#183 Burlington-South Burlington, VT $15,669,774
#184 Rochester, MN $15,644,852
#185 Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ $15,313,041
#186 Barnstable Town, MA $15,150,695
#187 Bloomington, IL $15,140,725
#188 Waco, TX $15,125,143
#189 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA $15,104,427
#190 Utica-Rome, NY $14,678,570
#191 Clarksville, TN-KY $14,546,292
#192 Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA $14,373,182
#193 Laredo, TX $13,581,543
#194 Gainesville, GA $13,561,088
#195 Charleston, WV $13,553,478
#196 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX $13,225,538
#197 Champaign-Urbana, IL $13,219,093
#198 Topeka, KS $13,204,822
#199 Springfield, IL $13,019,072
#200 Tyler, TX $13,002,122
#201 Tuscaloosa, AL $12,913,789
#202 Ocala, FL $12,907,979
#203 Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV $12,755,632
#204 Bend, OR $12,618,710
#205 Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN $12,537,390
#206 Erie, PA $12,509,399
#207 Napa, CA $12,387,136
#208 Binghamton, NY $12,314,327
#209 St. Cloud, MN $12,202,920
#210 Columbia, MO $12,077,178
#211 Iowa City, IA $11,989,228
#212 Yakima, WA $11,864,827
#213 Macon-Bibb County, GA $11,818,017
#214 Oshkosh-Neenah, WI $11,586,606
#215 Billings, MT $11,570,641
#216 Athens-Clarke County, GA $11,562,554
#217 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton, SC $11,497,194
#218 Lynchburg, VA $11,430,306
#219 Odessa, TX $11,399,343
#220 Wausau-Weston, WI $11,250,695
#221 Wheeling, WV-OH $11,239,365
#222 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA $11,197,979
#223 Florence, SC $11,018,873
#224 Medford, OR $10,949,122
#225 Fort Smith, AR-OK $10,920,156
#226 Greenville, NC $10,841,765
#227 Merced, CA $10,465,518
#228 Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI $10,356,019
#229 Eau Claire, WI $10,308,773
#230 Panama City, FL $10,269,545
#231 Sioux City, IA-NE-SD $10,111,866
#232 Chico, CA $10,006,052
#233 Dover, DE $9,984,324
#234 Idaho Falls, ID $9,915,330
#235 El Centro, CA $9,912,905
#236 Jacksonville, NC $9,900,984
#237 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL $9,891,548
#238 Jackson, TN $9,779,929
#239 State College, PA $9,750,456
#240 Harrisonburg, VA $9,499,442
#241 Redding, CA $9,419,468
#242 Saginaw, MI $9,363,549
#243 Houma-Thibodaux, LA $9,350,744
#244 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN $9,294,924
#245 Johnson City, TN $9,219,695
#246 Racine, WI $9,100,374
#247 Warner Robins, GA $8,993,124
#248 Yuma, AZ $8,977,170
#249 Lima, OH $8,962,374
#250 Jefferson City, MO $8,956,976
#251 Abilene, TX $8,848,793
#252 Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ $8,796,885
#253 Monroe, LA $8,699,152
#254 Kingston, NY $8,622,165
#255 Morgantown, WV $8,597,534
#256 California-Lexington Park, MD $8,554,244
#257 Janesville-Beloit, WI $8,530,214
#258 Terre Haute, IN $8,502,107
#259 East Stroudsburg, PA $8,493,417
#260 Niles, MI $8,455,695
#261 Flagstaff, AZ $8,444,850
#262 Winchester, VA-WV $8,419,006
#263 Bowling Green, KY $8,368,247
#264 Las Cruces, NM $8,339,710
#265 St. George, UT $8,338,042
#266 Joplin, MO $8,319,062
#267 San Angelo, TX $8,284,455
#268 Bloomington, IN $8,272,024
#269 Blacksburg-Christiansburg, VA $8,271,597
#270 Bismarck, ND $8,243,740
#271 Coeur d'Alene, ID $8,112,478
#272 Yuba City, CA $8,104,050
#273 Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL $8,063,835
#274 Dalton, GA $7,950,074
#275 Decatur, IL $7,856,804
#276 Dubuque, IA $7,840,579
#277 Manhattan, KS $7,818,079
#278 Bangor, ME $7,813,558
#279 Rocky Mount, NC $7,799,020
#280 Sheboygan, WI $7,747,640
#281 Pittsfield, MA $7,682,977
#282 Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA $7,659,302
#283 Jackson, MI $7,651,976
#284 Santa Fe, NM $7,636,186
#285 Dothan, AL $7,636,116
#286 Ames, IA $7,583,257
#287 Rapid City, SD $7,565,027
#288 Battle Creek, MI $7,528,043
#289 Glens Falls, NY $7,446,782
#290 Grand Junction, CO $7,444,077
#291 Burlington, NC $7,440,110
#292 Pueblo, CO $7,436,671
#293 Logan, UT-ID $7,425,275
#294 Wenatchee, WA $7,403,597
#295 Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ $7,376,321
#296 Auburn-Opelika, AL $7,335,523
#297 Decatur, AL $7,282,688
#298 Kankakee, IL $7,282,382
#299 Hanford-Corcoran, CA $7,258,824
#300 Columbus, IN $7,205,692
#301 Hattiesburg, MS $7,181,156
#302 Wichita Falls, TX $7,096,972
#303 Ithaca, NY $7,044,555
#304 Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ $7,037,905
#305 Alexandria, LA $7,037,021
#306 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY $6,972,539
#307 Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH $6,966,489
#308 Lebanon, PA $6,911,784
#309 Punta Gorda, FL $6,911,071
#310 Madera, CA $6,907,890
#311 Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA $6,846,649
#312 Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY $6,819,777
#313 Muskegon, MI $6,795,782
#314 Missoula, MT $6,780,085
#315 Altoona, PA $6,736,868
#316 Monroe, MI $6,716,820
#317 St. Joseph, MO-KS $6,700,369
#318 Cheyenne, WY $6,608,922
#319 Williamsport, PA $6,562,069
#320 Valdosta, GA $6,529,753
#321 Jonesboro, AR $6,494,679
#322 Fairbanks, AK $6,477,984
#323 Albany, GA $6,462,473
#324 New Bern, NC $6,436,366
#325 Owensboro, KY $6,434,476
#326 Ocean City, NJ $6,279,126
#327 Grand Forks, ND-MN $6,226,443
#328 Morristown, TN $6,218,224
#329 Carbondale-Marion, IL $6,206,570
#330 Mankato, MN $6,157,026
#331 Texarkana, TX-AR $6,086,205
#332 Longview, WA $6,047,768
#333 Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL $5,989,958
#334 Casper, WY $5,887,565
#335 Twin Falls, ID $5,878,885
#336 Staunton, VA $5,865,980
#337 Sherman-Denison, TX $5,852,474
#338 Midland, MI $5,836,461
#339 Fond du Lac, WI $5,817,790
#340 Goldsboro, NC $5,761,092
#341 Farmington, NM $5,698,394
#342 Lawton, OK $5,636,670
#343 Lewiston-Auburn, ME $5,614,156
#344 Albany-Lebanon, OR $5,608,491
#345 Lawrence, KS $5,586,561
#346 Sumter, SC $5,539,578
#347 The Villages, FL $5,507,387
#348 Cleveland, TN $5,423,969
#349 Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ $5,399,087
#350 Mansfield, OH $5,251,489
#351 Homosassa Springs, FL $5,247,686
#352 Corvallis, OR $5,242,566
#353 Johnstown, PA $5,197,201
#354 Springfield, OH $5,162,330
#355 Brunswick, GA $5,136,201
#356 Anniston-Oxford, AL $5,108,424
#357 Victoria, TX $5,082,222
#358 Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA $4,916,778
#359 Hammond, LA $4,897,538
#360 Grand Island, NE $4,871,762
#361 Cape Girardeau, MO-IL $4,838,122
#362 Beckley, WV $4,563,061
#363 Rome, GA $4,539,453
#364 Michigan City-La Porte, IN $4,521,182
#365 Kokomo, IN $4,488,369
#366 Muncie, IN $4,486,204
#367 Hinesville, GA $4,427,847
#368 Gettysburg, PA $4,310,644
#369 Elmira, NY $4,230,830
#370 Carson City, NV $4,225,603
#371 Bay City, MI $4,158,772
#372 Great Falls, MT $4,150,622
#373 Cumberland, MD-WV $4,025,355
#374 Parkersburg-Vienna, WV $4,000,337
#375 Pine Bluff, AR $3,996,508
#376 Hot Springs, AR $3,907,112
#377 Pocatello, ID $3,732,010
#378 Grants Pass, OR $3,666,285
#379 Danville, IL $3,645,245
#380 Walla Walla, WA $3,642,288
#381 Lewiston, ID-WA $3,274,461
#382 Gadsden, AL $3,175,372
#383 Enid, OK $2,926,730
#384 Sebring-Avon Park, FL $2,894,022
All U.S. Metro Areas $20,943,239,585

As the graphic above makes obvious, NYC’s GDP towers over the rest. The Big Apple is the nerve center for a number of high-impact industries, including finance and media.

Moving down the ranking, LA has a $1.1 trillion economy, followed by Chicago, with a GDP of just over $760 billion.

The Fastest Growing Cities

Although many of the top ranking cities are not surprising, there are a number of up-and-coming cities in the list. A report from the Kenan Institute, at the University of North Carolina’s Business School, reveals the fastest growing cities in the U.S. in terms of GDP growth year-over-year. Here’s a look at the top 10:

Rank City State GDP Growth (2022)
#1 San Francisco/Bay Area California 4.8%
#2 Austin Texas 4.3%
#3 Seattle Washington 3.5%
#4 Raleigh/Durham North Carolina 3.4%
#5 Dallas Texas 3.1%
#6 Denver Colorado 3.0%
#7 Salt Lake City Utah 2.8%
#8 Charlotte North Carolina 2.5%
#9 New Orleans Louisiana 2.4%
#10 Orlando Florida 2.4%

San Francisco, Seattle, and Dallas appear on both the overall GDP size and growth lists. Dallas’ economy is driven in large part by a growing healthcare industry. The city also continues to attract talent being home to large companies AT&T, CBRE Group, and Texas Instruments.

North Carolina is home to two of the fastest growing metropolitan areas, Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte. These cities may be ones to watch as they are becoming hubs of tech, research, and manufacturing. In fact, North Carolina was recently ranked as the most attractive U.S. state to do business in and both cities are among the fastest growing in terms of population.

The economic center of gravity within the U.S. could be shifting away from the traditional centers of power towards booming cities in the South and West of the United States. The Kenan Institute found that the recovery of hospitality and leisure sectors has helped destinations in these regions like New Orleans and Orlando. Additionally, the shift towards high-tech industry jobs, remote work, and cheaper housing have made these cities very attractive.

Of course, the sunny climate in these cities is an attractive selling point as well.

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Technology

Timeline: The Shocking Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank

Silicon Valley Bank was shuttered by regulators becoming the largest bank to fail since the height of the Financial Crisis. What happened?

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Timeline: The Shocking Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank

Just days ago, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) was still viewed as a highly-respected player in the tech space, counting thousands of U.S. venture capital-backed startups as its customers.

But fast forward to the end of last week, and SVB was shuttered by regulators after a panic-induced bank run.

So, how exactly did this happen? We dig in below.

Road to a Bank Run

SVB and its customers generally thrived during the low interest rate era, but as rates rose, SVB found itself more exposed to risk than a typical bank. Even so, at the end of 2022, the bank’s balance sheet showed no cause for alarm.

Summary of the SVB balance sheet at the end of 2022

As well, the bank was viewed positively in a number of places. Most Wall Street analyst ratings were overwhelmingly positive on the bank’s stock, and Forbes had just added the bank to its Financial All-Stars list .

Outward signs of trouble emerged on Wednesday, March 8th, when SVB surprised investors with news that the bank needed to raise more than $2 billion to shore up its balance sheet.

The reaction from prominent venture capitalists was not positive, with Coatue Management, Union Square Ventures, and Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund moving to limit exposure to the 40-year-old bank. The influence of these firms is believed to have added fuel to the fire, and a bank run ensued.

Also influencing decision making was the fact that SVB had the highest percentage of uninsured domestic deposits of all big banks. These totaled nearly $152 billion, or about 97% of all deposits.

ℹ️ The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insures up to $250,000 per account, per bank, for depositors.

By the end of the day, customers had tried to withdraw $42 billion in deposits.

What Triggered the SVB Collapse?

While the collapse of SVB took place over the course of 44 hours, its roots trace back to the early pandemic years.

In 2021, U.S. venture capital-backed companies raised a record $330 billion —double the amount seen in 2020. At the time, interest rates were at rock-bottom levels to help buoy the economy.

Matt Levine sums up the situation well: “When interest rates are low everywhere, a dollar in 20 years is about as good as a dollar today, so a startup whose business model is “we will lose money for a decade building artificial intelligence, and then rake in lots of money in the far future” sounds pretty good. When interest rates are higher, a dollar today is better than a dollar tomorrow, so investors want cash flows. When interest rates were low for a long time, and suddenly become high, all the money that was rushing to your customers is suddenly cut off.”

Year U.S. Venture Capital Activity Annual % Change
2021 $330B 98%
2020 $167B 15%
2019 $145B 1%
2018 $144B 64%
2017 $88B 6%
2016 $83B -3%

Source: Pitchbook

Why is this important? During this time, SVB received billions of dollars from these venture-backed clients. In one year alone, their deposits increased 100%. They took these funds and invested them in longer-term bonds. As a result, this created a dangerous trap as the company expected rates would remain low.

During this time, SVB invested in bonds at the top of the market. As interest rates rose higher and bond prices declined, SVB started taking major losses on their long-term bond holdings.

Losses Fueling a Liquidity Crunch

When SVB reported its fourth quarter results in early 2023, Moody’s Investor Service, a credit rating agency took notice . In early March, it said that SVB was at high risk for a downgrade due to its significant unrealized losses.

In response, SVB looked to sell $2 billion of its investments at a loss to help boost liquidity for its struggling balance sheet. Soon, more hedge funds and venture investors realized SVB could be on thin ice. Depositors withdrew funds in droves, spurring a liquidity squeeze and prompting California regulators and the FDIC to step in and shut down the bank.

What Happens Now?

While much of SVB’s activity was focused on the tech sector, the bank’s shocking collapse has rattled a financial sector that is already on edge.

The four biggest U.S. banks lost a combined $52 billion the day before the SVB collapse. On Friday, other banking stocks saw double-digit drops, including Signature Bank (-23%), First Republic (-15%), and Silvergate Capital (-11%).

Name Stock Price Change, March 10 2023 Unrealized Losses / Tangible Equity
SVB Financial -60%* -99%
First Republic Bank -15% -29%
Zions Bancorp -2% -47%
Comerica -5% -47%
U.S. Bancorp -4% -55%
Fifth Third Bancorp -4% -38%
Bank of America -1% -54%
Wells Fargo 1% -33%
JPMorgan -1% -21%

Source: Morningstar Direct. *Represents March 9 data, trading halted on March 10.

When the dust settles, it’s hard to predict the ripple effects that will emerge from this dramatic event. For investors, the Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen announced confidence in the banking system remaining resilient, noting that regulators have the proper tools in response to the issue.

But others have seen trouble brewing as far back as 2020 (or earlier) when commercial banking assets were skyrocketing and banks were buying bonds when rates were low.

The whole sector is in crisis, and the banks and investors that support these assets are going to have to figure out what to do. -Christopher Whalen, The Institutional Risk Analyst

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