Regional Wealth

The 2018 Cape Cod Regional Policy Plan describes four core economic development principles, which include “expanding opportunity and regional wealth by increasing exports, substituting imports locally, and fostering local ownership.” Barnstable County’s Gross Domestic Product (Real GDP), a key metric of regional wealth, amounted to $12.1 billion in 2021 (in chained 2012 dollars), with historical trends reflecting both broader economic inflection points, including the Great Recession and COVID-19, and an overarching slight increase since 2001. The private industries comprising the greatest shares of the County’s GDP in 2021 were Finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing; Educational services, health care, and social assistance; and Professional and business services.