November 20, 2014

Personal income grew in 2013 in 2,695 counties, fell in 390, and was unchanged in 28. On average, personal income rose 2.0 percent in 2013 in the metropolitan portion of the United States and rose 2.1 percent in the nonmetropolitan portion. The metropolitan and nonmetropolitan portions grew 5.3 percent and 4.4 percent, respectively, in 2012. The percent change from 2012 to 2013 in personal income ranged from -35.0 percent in Lamoure County, North Dakota to 32.3 percent in Greeley County, Kansas. Inflation, as measured by the national price index for personal consumption expenditures, slowed to 1.2 percent in 2013 from 1.8 percent in 2012.

Per capita personal income—personal income divided by population–is a useful metric for making comparisons of the level of personal income across counties. Per capita personal income for 2013 ranged from $17,536 in Telfair County, Georgia to $121,632 in New York County, New York.

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