2017 Per Capita Personal Income Growth in Northeast Indiana Slightly Below National Average

Per Capita Income Data Released for 2017

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Per capita personal income (PCPI) in Northeast Indiana’s 11 counties is growing faster than in recent years, but the growth still lags slightly behind the nation and state.

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released 2017 PCPI numbers. Northeast Indiana grew at 3.33 percent compared to the nation’s rate of 3.63 percent from 2016 to 2017.

Increasing PCPI annually against the national average is one of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership’s three major goals to grow the regional economy and compete in the global marketplace.

More than $33.2 billion of total personal income circulated in the region’s 11 counties in 2017. That was an increase of $1.2 billion of total personal income compared to 2016, resulting in a $1,371 increase in per capita personal income.

The region’s average 2017 per capita personal income was $42,545. Here is a breakdown of each county:

“Because the Regional Partnership uses a relational measure—regional PCPI against national PCPI—local income has to exceed the rate of growth of our national counterparts for Northeast Indiana to get ahead on this metric. That’s a tall task, but it’s not impossible,” said Rachel Blakeman, Purdue University Fort Wayne Community Research Institute director. “CRI’s position is that raising wages is the most available mechanism to raise PCPI in Northeast Indiana. Therefore, strategies that create jobs with above-average wages or increase the pay of existing workers are necessary to move this measure up.”

Regional economic developers in Northeast Indiana use PCPI as an economic indicator because it represents a historical regional data trendline that can accurately tell the comprehensive story of personal income growth over the decades. Per capita personal income is more than just wages; it also considers investment, entitlements like social security and other additional income.

“The data clearly tells us that we are making great strides to increase prosperity in Northeast Indiana. We have strong competition in communities all across the country. We must do more as a region to attract and retain high-wage and high-growth jobs in our key industries,” said John Sampson, presidentand CEO of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership. “We must continue to invest strongly, boldly and consistently in collaborative efforts to increase per capita personal income. Our goals are clear, and our work is not done.”

Sampson said consumer spending drives the economy, and more money in the pockets of residents allows people to spend more money locally for goods and services.

Percapita personal income is calculated as the total personal income of the residents of a geographic area divided by the total number of residents. The data is released annually by theBEA, and was calculated for the region by the Purdue University Fort Wayne Community Research Institute. The initial release is subject to BEA revision annually.  

To learn more, visit the website at www.neindiana.com/news.

About the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership

The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership’s mission is to build, market and sell Northeast Indiana to increase business investment. Founded in 2006, the public-private partnership strives to build a globally competitive region. The Partnership’s Vision 2030 framework supports collaborative regional efforts to increase per capita income, population growth and educational attainment by focusing on business attraction, talent attraction and talent development. The Partnership represents 11 member counties: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley. For more information, visit www.neindiana.com.
 

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MEDIA CONTACT:
 
Kate Virag
Vice President of Marketing & Strategic Communications
Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership
260.414.2431
kate@NEIndiana.com