Chicago has the third largest gross metropolitan product in
the United States—approximately $532 billion according to 2010 estimates,
after only the urban agglomerations of New York City and Los Angeles, in the
first and second place, respectively. The city has also been rated as having
the most balanced economy in the United States, due to its high level of
diversification. Chicago was named the fourth most important business center in
the world in the MasterCard Worldwide Centers of Commerce Index. Additionally,
the Chicago metropolitan area recorded the greatest number of new or expanded
