How did westward expansion impact the United States economically?

Westward expansion helped the US economy. The main way in which it did this was by giving the US access to more resources than it previously had.

One of the major factors that affects an economy is the amount of resources that it has available.  When the US expanded to the west, it gained access to more resources.  It gained access to the “bread basket” of the Great Plains. It gained access to the silver and gold of California, Nevada, and other places.  It gained access to the rangelands of Texas where cattle could be raised. In addition, westward expansion, opened up opportunities for new immigrants.   Expansion opened up farmland for Scandinavian immigrants. It opened up jobs on the railroads for Irish and Chinese immigrants. In these ways, westward expansion helped the US economy grow.