Louisville's GDP grew 1.5 percent in 2017.

The national average for cities was 2.1 percent.

The sluggish performance dropped Louisville to 47th among the country's 383 metropolitan areas.

The nation’s economy overall is on the upswing, but by one measure, Louisville lost ground to its peers last year.

Gross domestic product in the Louisville area grew 1.5 percent, according to data released Monday by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. That’s below the average 2.1 percent growth seen in the 383 other metropolitan areas around the country.

The relatively sluggish growth caused Louisville to fall to 47th in the national rankings, behind Jacksonville, Florida.

There are 1.3 million people in the Louisville metropolitan area and 1.5 million in Jacksonville, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

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Many of Louisville’s traditional peers fared better last year.

Austin, with its 2.1 million people, saw nearly 7 percent GDP growth and jumped three spots in the rankings. That was the most for a metropolitan area with more than 2 million people, BEA said.

Nashville, meanwhile, experienced greater than 4 percent GDP growth and rose two spots. Nashville has 1.9 million people.

Overall, GDP, after being adjusted for inflation, increased in 312 out of 383 metropolitan areas last year, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said in a news release.

GDP measures the market value of all final goods and services produced in an area over a particular period of time, BEA said.

Reach reporter Alfred Miller at amiller@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @AlfredFMiller. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com.