Mississippi > Germany is an exaggeration, but how many people know that almost all U.S. states are wealthier than almost all European countries? Germany (the richest European country) would rank somewhere around 39th as a U.S. state (just below Tennessee and Missouri). In my experience this kind of banal statement of fact is treated with undue incredulity.

Source: https://www.aei.org/carpe-diem/us-gdp-per-capita-by-state-vs...