A look at why US GDP numbers tower over Europe's, and why that does not mean Americans actually feel richer.

• US GDP per person is much higher than France's, and even poor states like Mississippi look richer than France on paper.
• But the gap is driven by US tech giants and data center spending, with most of the wealth going to a small slice of people.
• Europeans work fewer hours, take long vacations, get healthcare even on part-time jobs, and tend to score higher on happiness.
• Much of US growth runs on debt and on AI build-out that may replace jobs, so regular Americans feel squeezed even as GDP climbs.
• Old European cities have solid buildings and walkable life, while new US housing is built cheap and fast for margins.

Outlook: The US will likely keep pulling ahead on GDP thanks to tech, but the gap between headline growth and how people actually live is set to widen.