Guadalajara has the third largest economy and industrial infrastructure in Mexico, and contributes 37% to the state of Jalisco's total gross production. Its economic base is strong and well diversified, mainly based on commerce and services, although the manufacturing sector plays a defining role. It is also ranked in the top ten in Latin America in terms of gross domestic product and the highest ranking in Mexico. In its 2007 survey entitled "Cities of the Future", FDi magazine ranked Guadalajara highest among major Mexican cities, and designated Guadalajara as having the second strongest economic potential of any major North American city behind Chicago. FDI Magazine also ranked the city as the most business-friendly Latin American city in 2007.
Most of Guadalajara's economic growth since 1990 has been tied with foreign investment. International firms have invested here to take advantage of the relatively cheap but educated and highly productive labor, establishing manufacturing plants which re-export their products to the United States, as well as provide goods for the internal Mexican market. Exports from the city went from 3.92 billion USD in 1995 to 14.3 billion in 2003. From 1990 to 2000, socio-economic indicators show that quality of life improved overall; however, there is still a large gap between the rich and the poor, and the rich have benefited from the globalization and privatization of the economy more than the poor. International investment has not only affected the labor market in the Guadalajara metro area but also that of the rural towns and villages that surround it. Guadalajara is the distribution center for the region and its demands as such have led to a shifting of employment from traditional agriculture and crafts to manufacturing and commerce in urban centers. This has led to mass migration from the rural areas to the metropolitan area.
As for the municipality's finances, in 2009, Moody's Investors Service assigned ratings of
