President Donald Trump has promised voters his administration's policies will quicken the pace of U.S. growth to three percent a year or more.



Even if his administration hits that target for the national economy, some states will likely continue to be left behind.



The latest government data Friday shows just how much work the Trump administration faces if it hopes to fulfill its growth target. The U.S. economy grew at its slowest pace in three years in the first quarter of this year, held back by weak consumer spending and slower investment by businesses.



Cuts in defense spending also held the growth of gross domestic product to just 0.7 percent at an annual rate, the Commerce Department reported.



Other economic measures seem to show underlying economic strength: The job market continues to add payrolls, home sales are back to levels not seen in a decade, and consumer confidence is at multiyear highs.



But national figures mask a very uneven recovery from one state to another.

Four states have not yet fully recovered from the Great Recession. As of the third quarter of last year, the latest data available, the economies of Louisiana, Wyoming, Connecticut and Alaska were still smaller than when the recession ended in June 2009.