What was the characteristic of the Norths economy?

Speaking in terms of the North's economy in the US Civil War, it can be said that it was vastly different than its rebelling states in the South. The North was still a strong agricultural one and exported such products such as wheat to Europe. On the other hand, it was a growing industrial economy with an advanced railway system. It's busy ports of New York, Boston and Philadelphia helped its trading efforts and it had a strong fishing industry in the Boston area. Its population was about 23 million people and many of them were looking to the vast unsettled territories to the West.