The Sunbelt and Mountain West states are seeing economic prosperity during a time when most of the country is bracing for a slowdown. These states are getting a boost from investments in electric vehicle and semiconductor production facilities there, as well as population growth.
A flood of investment in semiconductor and electric vehicle production in the Sunbelt states—which is comprised of all or part of 18 states from coast to coast in the lower half of the country—has boosted economic activity in those areas, said Jackie Benson, an economist with Wells Fargo. Georgia, for example, has seen a $5 billion investment from electric car manufacturer Rivian. In Arizona, Intel and the Taiwanese firm semiconductor manufacturer TSMC are investing in plants in the state.
These pockets of economic activity are set to help these parts of as the nation is expected to enter a period of…
