The biggest lie about the Great Lakes, it should be noted, is most commonly heard around election time.
But listen closely enough, and it’s there, simmering, always.
You’ve heard the terms.
Has-been.
Passé.
Decline.
But could it be that this truth is actually a Trump truth, aka a lie?
Let’s scroll through some numbers, starting with eight, as in the number of US states that border the Great Lakes.
For the sake of argument, we’ll agree that the long downward slide, otherwise known as the biggest lie about the Great Lakes, began in 1950.
Since that time, in alphabetical order, the eight Great Lakes states have added the following:
Illinois: 4.1 million
Indiana: 2.8 million
Michigan: 3.7 million
Minnesota: 2.8 million
New York: 5.4 million
Ohio: 3.8 million
Pennsylvania: 2.5 million
Wisconsin: 2.4 million
Those millions refer to human beings, totaling 27.5 million and leaving five of the states in the top 10 by population and all eight in the top 22.
But you’re a private equity bro—all you care about is money.
Remember, I’m just an artist turned blogger, but I believe that nominal GDP can provide some insight in this regard.
Illinois: 5
Indiana: 19
Michigan: 14
Minnesota: 20
New York: 3
Ohio: 7
Pennsylvania: 6
Wisconsin: 21
Those numbers, from 2025, reflect each state’s ranking on a list of US states by nominal GDP.
In other words, if this is what decline looks like, where does that leave the other states?
