Economic map of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina
The province's economy has long been the largest in Argentina, estimated in 2014 to have been US$407.6 billion (more than a third of the national total, which was around US$680.8 billion in 2016 according to Argentina's economical growth pronostics. It has a per capita income of $24,780 (around $27,300 in 2016). The province is the nation's chief exporter, generating nearly $107 billion in exports in 2016 (37% of the nation's total).
The farms are used for agriculture and livestock. the most important productions on the side of agriculture are wheat, corn, sunflower and soybeans, while livestock specializes in cattle. Traditionally, livestock occupied much more space than agriculture in the province; However, this situation has been balanced since the 1990s, with the extension of new crops, especially soybeans, and new agricultural techniques such as "direct seeding". Beside of grain crops, fruit trees, potatoes and vegetables are also grown; the latter are concentrated in the area closest to the City of Buenos Aires. In Médanos, at 39º south latitude and 40 km from Bahía Blanca, high quality wines are produced; This territory is located to the east of the traditional wine regions and produces Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
With the industrial development that arose after the crisis of 1930, the province was the majority recipient of the new industrial establishments. From 1960 onward, Avellaneda, La Matanza, La Plata and its surroundings, Mar del Plata, Bahía Blanca (where the largest petrochemical center in the country is), San Nicolás and Zárate - Campana (both areas basically with steel) were industrialized rapidly. In Mar del Plata and Necochea an important fleet and fishing industry has developed.
The province has the largest number of industrial establishments in the country.
Another important source of income is tourism, as there are numerous districts along the coast with large areas of beaches, with Mar del Plata being the most important tourist city. Tourist activity increased after the economic crisis of 2001, since for the middle and upper classes it was less feasible to spend the summer abroad because of the increase in the value of the dollar.