New government statistics show that Hawaii’s economy grew at a slower rate in 2008, but the Islands outpaced most other states in the Far West Region.

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Tuesday that real gross domestic product grew 0.7 percent in Hawaii, a drop from the 1.5 percent growth the state experienced in 2007.
Far West states overall expanded 0.6 percent. Hawaii outperformed Alaska, California and Nevada. Washington and Oregon had higher economic growth than Hawaii.
Hawaii’s rate of 0.7 percent growth matched that of the rest of the country.
Nationwide, North Dakota had the fastest economic growth, at more than 7 percent.
The economy contracted in a dozen states, with Alaska showing the most significant decline of 2 percent.