Maybe if you think you’ve had more spending money, you’re right.
Income growth in metro Atlanta have been outpacing both the state and the nation in the most recent government statistics released this morning.
Income per person grew 2.5 percent in 2014 in the region, compared to a 2.2 percent pace both in Georgia and the overall United States, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, which adjusted figures to account for inflation.
Metro Atlanta’s per capita income had dropped four of the five previous years, thanks to the
Painful recession and a sluggish recovery that sent jobless rates into double digits.
Per capita income in 2014 was $41,833, the BEA said.
That is just slightly higher than the 2008 level, but it is $2,628 – nearly 7 percent – higher per person than in 2010.
Overall personal income grew 4.1 percent in metro Atlanta.
The strongest growth in a metro area was in Odessa, Texas, where personal income jumped 8.1 percent. Among Southern metros, the fastest pace of growth was in Myrtle Beach where incomes increased 6 percent during the year.
The worst performance came in Beckley, West Virginia, where incomes dropped 3.3 percent.
The strongest state personal income growth in 2014 was the 4.7 percent surge in Nevada. The weakest was the 0.4 increase in South Dakota.
Texas had the highest growth in the South: 4.2 percent, according to the BEA.
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