Metro Atlanta 112th in per capita income

By Michael E. Kanell

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta was among 17 metro areas where average income slipped as recession took hold last year, according to the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Per capita income in metro Atlanta last year was $37,655 -- down 0.2 percent from the year before, but still tops among Georgia’s 15 metro areas, according to Thursday’s report.

Nationally, metro Atlanta was 112th out of 366.

Incomes grew most in places that produce energy -- Texas and Colorado -- or in areas that host expanding military bases. They were generally hit hardest in places battered by collapse of the housing market or manufacturing cuts.

Georgia had examples of both: Pounded by factory layoffs, Dalton was one of the few areas nationally that saw overall income drop. In contrast, Hinesville-Ft. Stewart had one of the biggest increases -- a 12 percent surge in income due to military spending, according to the BEA.

Incomes include salaries and wages, but also government payments, capital gains and rent to landlords. Measured only by wages-per-job, Atlanta ranks much closer to the top: 23rd, with $47,715, said the BEA.

Among the larger cities of the south, Atlanta’s per capita income ranked ahead of Tampa and Orlando, places battered by both the collapse of the housing market and the retreat of tourism. Ahead of Atlanta were Birmingham and Charlotte and Miami.