Rocky Mountains Hit Economic Bottom : Southeast Replaced for 1st Time as Lowest in Per Capita Income

The Rocky Mountain region last year slipped into last place in per capita personal income, for the first time bumping the Southeast, which has held the bottom spot on the list for 60 years, the government reported today.

Per capita income in the Rocky Mountain states last year averaged $14,282, 13% below the national average of $16,444, the Commerce Department said. In the Southeast region, income averaged $14,331.

The Southeast had ranked at the bottom in every year since 1929, the earliest year for which the department has estimated regional per capita income.

Although per capita income grew 6.2% nationwide in 1988, a pace that was matched in the Southeast, it increased only 5.4% in the Rocky Mountain region.

New England on Top

The highest-income region in 1988 was New England, with per capita personal income of $20,013, up 7.8% from the previous year. The Middle Atlantic region ranked second, at $18,904, up 7%.

Both regions enjoyed rapid growth in service and construction industry payrolls last year.

Here’s how other regions fared last year: Far West, $18,235, up 5.8% from 1987; Great Lakes, $16,161, up 6.3%; Plains, $15,495, up 4.8%; Southwest, $14,365, up 5.2%.

By state, Connecticut ranked first in per capita income, at $22,761, followed by New Jersey, Massachusetts, Alaska and Maryland.

The District of Columbia would have ranked third if it had been ranked along with the states.

At the other end of the list, Mississippi was last with per capita income of $10,992, followed by West Virginia, Utah, Arkansas, Louisiana and South Dakota.