California was admitted into statehood in September 9, 1850. It is the most densely populated state in the United States, and the third-largest by land area, after Alaska and Texas. The state’s capital is Sacramento, but it is much smaller compared to the largest city which is Los Angeles. The four other largest cities include San Diego, San, Francisco, San Jose and Long Beach. California is home to 36,961,664 (2009 est.).*
According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, California’s gross state product as of 2008 was $1.8 trillion.** The largest industries in relation to jobs are trade, transportation and utilities; government; professional and business services; education and health services; and leisure and hospitality. The largest industries in relation to productivity are financial services, trade, transportation and utilities; education and health services; government; and manufacturing.
Los Angeles alone is the largest major manufacturing center in the United States, with products ranging from apparel, computers and electronics, transportation, fabricated metal, food and furniture. Entertainment and tourism also play major roles in California’s economy.
Currently, the state of California has one of the highest unemployment rates at 12.4% as of August 2010.***
| Unemployment Agency | Website | Phone Number | State |
| EDD | California Website | California Unemployment Benefits |
Below is a list of the 50 largest employers in California:****
| Employer | City |
| 32ND ST NAVAL STATION | San Diego |
| LONG BEACH FINANCIAL MGMT | Long Beach |
| UCLA HEALTH SYSTEM | Los Angeles |
| UCLA | Los Angeles |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA | Davis |
| LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF | Monterey Park |
| NESTLE USA | Glendale |
| UNIVERSITY OF CA-SAN FRANCISCO | San Francisco |
| EDWARDS AFB | Edwards Afb |
| UNIVERSITY OF CA-BERKELEY | Berkeley |
| SHARP MEMORIAL HOSPITAL | San Diego |
| UNIVERSITY OF CA-IRVINE | Irvine |
| CEDARS SINAI MEDICAL CTR | West Hollywood |
| CISCO SYTEMS INC. | San Jose |
| NAVAL CONSTRUCTION BATTALION | Port Hueneme |
| LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL | Loma Linda |
| LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPT. | Los Angeles |
| APPLIED MATERIALS INC. | Santa Clara |
| US NAVAL AIR STATION | Lemoore |
| AMGEN INC. | Thousand Oaks |
| LAC & USC MEDICAL CTR | Los Angeles |
| LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATL LAB | Livermore |
| ORACLE CORP. | Redwood City |
| ORACLE | Cupertino |
| SOCIAL SERVICES DEPT. | Sacramento |
| INTEL CORP. | Santa Clara |
| AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES LTD | San Jose |
| COMMUNITY MEDICAL CTR | Fresno |
| FLEXTRONICS INTERNATIONAL | Milipitas |
| GOLD COAST TIRE CO INC. | Los Angeles |
| US INTERIOR DEPT. | Menlo Park |
| LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY CHILDREN | Loma Linda |
| ONTARIO INTL AIRPORT-ONT | Ontario |
| SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY | San Francisco |
| SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT | Culver City |
| U.C. DAVIS HEALTH SYSTEM | Sacramento |
| UCSF MEDICAL CTR-PARNASSUS | San Francisco |
| WALT DISNEY CO | Burbank |
| UNIVERSITY OF CA-SANTA BARBARA | Santa Barbara |
| INTEL CORP | Folsom |
| NOVARTIS VACCINES & DGNSTCS | Emeryville |
| KAISER FOUNDATION HOSPITAL | Los Angeles |
| LONG BEACH MEMORIAL MEDICAL | Long Beach |
| SAN FRANCISCO GENERAL HOSPITAL | San Francisco |
| UCSF MEDICAL CTR UCSF | San Francisco |
| CHEVRON CORP. | San Ramon |
| FUJITSU IT HOLDINGS INC. | Sunnyvale |
| JET PROPULSION LABORATORY | Pasadena |
| KAISER PERMANENTE | Los Angeles |
| LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LAB | Berkeley |
Sources:
* http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06000.html
** http://www.bea.gov/regional/gsp/action.cfm
*** http://data.bls.gov:8080/PDQ/servlet/SurveyOutputServlet;jsessionid=6230dd5b0a0849234f34
**** http://www.acinet.org/acinet/oview6.asp?soccode=&stfips=06&from=State&id=11&nodeid=12