Over half of the nation's population lives in either the 35 most populous metropolitan areas OR the 10 most populous states (your pick). Many of the 35 most populous metropolitan areas are centered in the 10 most populous states, although not all...
The six fastest growing states right now are #1 Texas, #2 Florida, #3 Georgia, #4 North Carolina, #5 South Carolina, and #6 Tennessee. The six fastest SHRINKING right now are #1 Illinois, #2 California, #3 Massachusetts, #4 New Jersey, #5 Wisconsin, and #6 New York. Essentially, people are moving south (and in California's case, east).
If California were its own nation, it would be the eighth largest economy on the planet after (1) the other 49 states and the District Columbia of the United States, (2) China, (3) Germany, (4) Japan, (5) India, (6) the United Kingdom, and (7) France.
Texas is the only state that can legally secede from the United States without causing a civil war.
