This is first and foremost a post about serendipity. First, I googled this very information yesterday while talking with my father. Then today I see the infographic below with today’s date (!), with the same exact information I googled yesterday and read about on a different website. Super weird!

But then, as fate would have it, my lesson today in AP Gov was about interest groups. And you’ll notice if you look at the graphic below, that Washington DC has the highest per capita GDP of any of the United States. New York is second, and has less than the half of DC’s number. Why? Well a big part of it is all the lobbying money flying around in DC (though there is tech and aerospace there, too). Indeed, the initial reason I googled the stat in the first place while talking with my father was because we were discussing the fountain of cash that is our federal government.

Mississippi has the lowest GDP per capita, and while Oregon isn’t close to that number, it is closer to Mississippi’s number than DC’s.

On a related note, according to Open Secrets, the interest groups that spend the most money lobbying at present are:

  1. U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Typically the highest spender, representing business interests across various sectors.

  2. The National Association of Realtors: Their primary goal is to “unleash” housing inventory through legislative and tax reforms

  3. Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America (PhRMA): Represents major pharmaceutical companies, spending heavily to influence drug pricing policies.

  4. Business Roundtable: An association of CEOs from major U.S. corporations, lobbying on tax, trade, and economic policy. National Association of Realtors (NAR): A consistent top spender focused on housing and real estate legislation.

  5. American Hospital Association (AHA): Lobbies on behalf of hospitals and health systems.

  6. Blue Cross/Blue Shield: A major player among health insurance lobbyists.

  7. Meta: Their primary 2026 goal is to prevent a “patchwork” of restrictive state-level AI laws that could hinder development.