Western Mexico, comprised of the states of Aguasca-lientes, Colima, Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Sinaloa, is roughly the size of Arizona and has an economy larger than that of Chile or Colombia, or all of Central America combined, at just over $100 billion.  The population of 20 million is concentrated in Jalisco and Guanajuato, which along with Aguascalientes, are key manufacturing and industrial states, while Michoacán, Nayarit, Colima, and Sinaloa are important agricultural producers.  Major subsectors within the region include auto parts, electronics, jewelry, furniture, textiles, footwear, tourism, metalworking, processed foods, agricultural equipment, dairy products, and fruits and vegetables.

Jalisco

            With a population of 6,322,002, the state of Jalisco has the fourth largest economy in Mexico, with 6.3 percent of national GDP. Originally agricultural and trade-focused, it has diversified and become one of the largest recipients of foreign investment in Mexico. Twenty-five percent of employment is now industrial (mining, manufacturing, and electricity), with 32 percent in services, 20 percent in commerce, and 11 percent in agriculture. Although Jalisco is still traditional, in that small and medium-sized businesses employ 64 percent of the workforce, the number of large state-of-the-art manufacturing plants has been steadily increasing. Jalisco has a young and educated workforce (92 percent literacy) with low turnover rate...

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