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NEWS RELEASE
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 8:30 A.M. ET, Thursday, April 22, 2010
David G. Lenze
Kathy Albetski
E-mail inquiries:

(202) 606−9292
(202) 606−9240

BEA 10─15

reis@bea.gov

Local Area Personal Income, 2008
Today, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released estimates of personal
income at the county level for 2008 based on newly available source data. The percent
change from 2007 to 2008 in county personal income ranged from -48 percent in Slope
County, North Dakota to 54 percent in Faulk County, South Dakota with growth slowing
in more than two-thirds of the counties. For the nation, personal income grew 2.9 percent
in 2008 after growing 5.5 percent in 2007. A surge in farm income accounted for the
bulk of the growth in 29 of the 31 fastest growing counties (the top 1 percent of the
nation’s counties) as they continued to rebound from sharp mid-decade declines in farm
income.

This news release is available on BEA’s Web site at www.bea.gov/newsreleases/rels.htm.
-- more --

Personal income is a comprehensive measure of the income of all persons from all
sources. In addition to wages and salaries, it includes employer-provided health
insurance, dividends and interest income, social security benefits, and other types of
income.
Per capita personal income (personal income divided by population) ranged from
$12,558 in Buffalo County, South Dakota to $140,275 in Loving County, Texas.
The county estimates released today complete the successively more detailed
series of data releases depicting the geographic distribution of the nation’s personal
income for 2008. National estimates typically are released one month after the end of the
year, state estimates are released two months later, and metropolitan area estimates for
2008 were released in August 2009.
In this release, 3 digit NAICS subsector level detail was restored to 2008 statistics
of county compensation. The subsector detail was restored as part of a FY 2010 Budget
initiative that provided funding for a comprehensive program to improve the reliability
and accuracy of all local area economic statistics.
Personal income and its components are available for 3,112 counties from 1969 to
2008. In addition, detailed annual estimates of earnings and employment, inflows and
outflows of commuters’ earnings, personal current transfer receipts, and farm gross
income and expenses by major category for each county are available. A partial sample
of the data available is presented in the attached table for New York County, New York.
These estimates are the only comprehensive annual measure of economic activity
available for counties. Go to www.bea.gov/regional/reis/ to access these estimates.
A narrative describing county, metropolitan area, and state personal income using
current estimates, growth rates, and a breakdown of the sources of personal income is
available at http://www.bea.gov/regional/bearfacts/.

2

Comprehensive revision of local area personal income statistics
The annual estimates (1969-2008) of local area personal income have been revised
to incorporate the comprehensive revision of the National Income and Product Accounts
(NIPA). Comprehensive revisions, which are undertaken every 4 to 5 years, are an
important part of BEA’s regular process for improving and modernizing its accounts to
keep pace with the ever-changing U.S. economy. Such revisions differ from annual
revisions because of the scope of the changes and because of the number of years subject
to revision. Comprehensive revisions consist of: (1) changes in definitions and
classifications that update the accounts to portray more accurately the evolving U.S.
economy, (2) statistical changes that introduce new and improved methodologies and
incorporate newly available and revised source data, and (3) presentational changes that
make the accounts more informative and easier to use and that reflect the definitional,
classification, and statistical changes.
The major definitional change that affects local area personal income is the new
treatment of disasters to better reflect the distinctions between current and capital
transactions and to bring the NIPA in line with recommendations of the System of
National Accounts (SNA) 2008. This raises total personal income in some counties and
years affected by major disasters such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the terrorist
attacks of September 11, 2001.
Two major methodological improvements were made.
The first is an
improvement in the measurement of wage and salary disbursements. The Quarterly
Census of Employment and Wages, which BEA uses to estimate wage and salary
disbursements, does not include employee contributions to cafeteria plans in 28 states
where state law excludes these contributions from wages for unemployment insurance
purposes. These contributions were estimated using state data from the Medical
Expenditure Panel Survey of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The second is an improvement in the estimation of employer contributions for
Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) by industry. Previously, a
national estimate of private employer OASDI contributions was allocated to industries in
proportion to wage and salary disbursements, overstating contributions in high-wage
industries.
The methodological improvement uses data on the distribution of
employment by wage rates, states, and industries from the Occupational Employment
Survey of the Bureau of Labor Statistics and maximum taxable earnings from the Social
Security Administration.
Newly available and revised source data used in the revision of local area personal
income include U.S. Department of Agriculture farm income, expenses, and employment
statistics from the Census of Agriculture.
The major presentational changes for the local area personal income statistics
include the split of the former Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon Census Area in Alaska into the
Hoonah-Angoon Census Area and Skagway Municipality and the addition of charts and
graphs to BEA Regional Facts (BEARFACTS).

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The May Survey of Current Business will contain an article that describes the
results of the revisions to local area personal income in detail.

4

5
Note about data on the BEA Web site
The complete set of income and employment estimates for 1969-2008 for counties,
micropolitan areas, metropolitan areas, and BEA Economic Areas is now available interactively
on BEA’s Web site. Detailed annual estimates of earnings and employment by industry,
components of personal income, personal current transfer receipts, farm gross income and
expenses by major category, and inflows and outflows of commuters’ earnings for each of the
geographic regions are available. These estimates are the only detailed, broadly inclusive,
annual measure of economic activity available for counties. Go to www.bea.gov/regional/reis/ to
access these estimates.
BEA Regional Facts (BEARFACTS), a narrative summary of personal income, per capita
personal income, and components of income for metropolitan areas and counties, is available on
BEA’s Web site. Go to www.bea.gov/regional/bearfacts/ to access these summaries.
Data on personal income and per capita personal income for BEA regions, states, and
metropolitan areas, as well as data for counties, will be presented in the May issue of the Survey
of Current Business, the monthly journal of the Bureau of Economic Analysis. See the end of
this release for information on obtaining copies of the Survey of Current Business on BEA’s
Web site. For further information, call (202) 606-5360.
Definitions
Personal income is the income received by all persons from all sources. Personal
income is the sum of net earnings by place of residence, rental income of persons, personal
dividend income, personal interest income, and personal current transfer receipts. Net earnings
is earnings by place of work (the sum of wage and salary disbursements, supplements to wages
and salaries, and proprietors’ income) less contributions for government social insurance, plus an
adjustment to convert earnings by place of work to a place-of-residence basis. Personal income
is measured before the deduction of personal income taxes and other personal taxes and is
reported in current dollars (no adjustment is made for price changes).
The estimate of personal income in the United States is derived as the sum of the county
estimates; it differs slightly from the estimate of personal income in the national income and
product accounts (NIPAs) because of differences in coverage, in the methodologies used to
prepare the estimates, and in the timing of the availability of source data.
Per capita personal income is calculated as the personal income of residents of a given
area divided by the resident population of the area. In computing per capita personal income,
BEA uses the Census Bureau’s annual midyear population estimates.
The metropolitan area definitions used by BEA for its entire series of personal income
estimates are the county-based definitions developed by the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for federal statistical purposes and last updated in December 2009. OMB’s general
concept of a metropolitan area is that of a geographic area consisting of a large population
nucleus together with adjacent communities having a high degree of economic and social
integration with the nucleus. Detailed personal income estimates for metropolitan statistical
areas, micropolitan statistical areas, metropolitan divisions, and combined statistical areas are
available on the BEA Web site at www.bea.gov.
BEA’s national, international, regional, and industry estimates; the Survey of Current
Business; and BEA news releases are available without charge on BEA’s Web site at
www.bea.gov. By visiting the site, you can also subscribe to receive free e-mail alerts of BEA
releases and announcements.

Personal Income by Major Source and Earnings by Industry for New York County, New York, 2006-20081
[Thousands of dollars]
2006
2007
Income by place of residence
Personal income
177,313,980
193,230,309
Population (persons) 2/
1,612,630
1,625,251
Per capita personal income (dollars)
109,953
118,893
Derivation of personal income
Earnings by place of work
303,744,729
332,041,218
less: Contributions for government social insurance 3/
27,410,654
30,141,142
Employee and self-employed contributions for government social insurance
14,739,781
16,508,612
Employer contributions for government social insurance
12,670,873
13,632,530
plus: Adjustment for residence 4/
-156,181,161
-173,811,233
equals: Net earnings by place of residence
120,152,914
128,088,843
plus: Dividends, interest, and rent 5/
42,563,317
49,837,522
plus: Personal current transfer receipts
14,597,749
15,303,944
Earnings by place of work
Components of earnings
Wage and salary disbursements
218,981,689
246,707,719
Supplements to wages and salaries
41,314,382
43,727,707
Employer contributions for employee pension and insurance funds
28,643,509
30,095,177
Employer contributions for government social insurance
12,670,873
13,632,530
Proprietors' income 6/
43,448,658
41,605,792
Farm proprietors' income
0
0
Nonfarm proprietors' income
43,448,658
41,605,792
Earnings by industry
Farm earnings
0
0
Nonfarm earnings
303,744,729
332,041,218
Private earnings
271,837,651
298,819,432
Forestry, fishing, and related activities
16,749
16,542
Forestry and logging
(D)
(D)
Fishing, hunting, and trapping
487
(D)
Agriculture and forestry support activities
(D)
13,285
Mining
887,290
618,836
Oil and gas extraction
877,416
610,217
Mining (except oil and gas)
(D)
(D)
Support activities for mining
(D)
(D)
Utilities
(D)
(D)
Construction
3,998,009
4,410,228
Construction of buildings
1,773,001
1,981,633
Heavy and civil engineering construction
213,691
252,518
Specialty trade contractors
2,011,317
2,176,077
Manufacturing
4,291,905
4,523,195
Durable goods manufacturing
(D)
(D)
Wood product manufacturing
(D)
5,024
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing
20,034
17,535
Primary metal manufacturing
15,191
19,910
Fabricated metal product manufacturing
39,270
40,347
Machinery manufacturing
26,941
30,035
Computer and electronic product manufacturing
89,864
106,033
Electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing
10,001
651
Motor vehicles, bodies and trailers, and parts manufacturing
(D)
(D)
Other transportation equipment manufacturing
(D)
(D)
See footnotes at the end of the table.

2008
197,041,371
1,631,599
120,766
337,445,480
31,168,641
17,094,421
14,074,220
-174,685,562
131,591,277
49,253,234
16,196,860

249,239,187
45,164,293
31,090,073
14,074,220
43,042,000
0
43,042,000
0
337,445,480
303,554,139
24,435
2,855
523
21,057
754,256
743,201
(D)
(D)
(D)
4,641,196
2,164,444
269,971
2,206,781
4,337,747
(D)
7,617
25,172
19,156
44,129
28,858
99,757
1,322
366
(D)

Personal Income by Major Source and Earnings by Industry for New York County, New York, 2006-20081 (continued)
[Thousands of dollars]
2006
2007
2008
Furniture and related product manufacturing
38,068
44,423
46,287
Miscellaneous manufacturing
615,200
619,353
604,995
Nondurable goods manufacturing
(D)
(D)
(D)
Food manufacturing
123,965
129,383
130,095
Beverage and tobacco product manufacturing
338,706
496,106
385,769
Textile mills
184,775
182,622
166,282
Textile product mills
49,881
64,958
73,283
Apparel manufacturing
1,229,938
1,283,427
1,251,047
Leather and allied product manufacturing
34,651
27,542
32,182
Paper manufacturing
41,538
61,118
67,769
Printing and related support activities
571,391
572,392
526,572
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing
(D)
(D)
(D)
Chemical manufacturing
348,338
339,429
327,820
Plastics and rubber products manufacturing
9,786
8,817
9,239
Wholesale trade
10,517,815
11,059,556
11,241,990
Retail trade
8,245,797
8,857,087
8,922,937
Motor vehicle and parts dealers
176,704
185,266
178,183
Furniture and home furnishings stores
365,420
405,525
414,198
Electronics and appliance stores
504,637
594,406
668,505
Building material and garden supply stores
192,564
207,612
191,287
Food and beverage stores
921,928
980,767
1,019,100
Health and personal care stores
1,016,000
1,095,239
1,079,540
Gasoline stations
24,745
25,480
28,013
Clothing and clothing accessories stores
2,502,877
2,617,288
2,591,453
Sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores
346,195
354,714
350,001
General merchandise stores
661,354
665,307
652,397
Miscellaneous store retailers
970,741
1,109,553
1,129,129
Nonstore retailers
562,632
615,930
621,131
Transportation and warehousing
(D)
(D)
(D)
Air transportation
72,643
84,481
138,986
Rail transportation
59,643
62,012
(D)
Water transportation
(D)
(D)
70,715
129,362
129,840
136,166
Truck transportation
Transit and ground passenger transportation
167,057
160,323
160,357
Pipeline transportation
0
0
0
Scenic and sightseeing transportation
55,531
57,757
50,260
Support activities for transportation
304,111
329,331
338,743
Couriers and messengers
501,641
517,093
530,068
Warehousing and storage
54,292
77,667
76,158
Information
25,284,589
26,856,242
28,034,961
Publishing industries, except Internet
6,897,813
7,180,825
7,416,531
Motion picture and sound recording industries
3,893,183
4,305,236
4,665,143
Broadcasting, except Internet
10,347,881
10,936,570
11,595,020
Internet publishing and broadcasting 7/
423,631
(NA)
(NA)
Telecommunications
1,981,213
2,148,796
2,000,151
ISPs, search portals, and data processing
1,075,424
1,018,684
958,190
Other information services
665,444
1,266,131
1,399,926
See footnotes at the end of the table.

Personal Income by Major Source and Earnings by Industry for New York County, New York, 2006-20081 (continued)
[Thousands of dollars]
2006
2007
2008
Finance and insurance
99,669,103
114,278,636
112,158,213
Monetary authorities - central bank
(D)
(D)
(D)
Credit intermediation and related activities
14,622,981
16,462,490
15,896,473
Securities, commodity contracts, investments
74,173,798
84,798,482
82,840,641
Insurance carriers and related activities
8,013,000
8,669,973
8,774,180
Funds, trusts, and other financial vehicles
(D)
(D)
(D)
Real estate and rental and leasing
7,821,945
8,127,298
7,994,205
Real estate
7,212,340
7,479,082
7,335,657
Rental and leasing services
346,824
343,710
345,563
Lessors of nonfinancial intangible assets
262,781
304,506
312,985
Professional and technical services
47,136,749
51,367,830
54,198,435
Management of companies and enterprises
10,980,097
12,414,479
12,437,019
Administrative and waste services
10,219,990
11,369,005
11,562,362
Administrative and support services
10,133,341
11,279,800
11,451,895
Waste management and remediation services
86,649
89,205
110,467
Educational services
5,571,777
5,895,619
6,330,074
Health care and social assistance
13,856,303
14,509,835
15,082,067
Ambulatory health care services
4,851,871
5,117,212
5,262,849
Hospitals
5,862,877
6,156,159
6,461,296
Nursing and residential care facilities
786,589
794,794
802,791
Social assistance
2,354,966
2,441,670
2,555,131
Arts, entertainment, and recreation
6,331,249
6,527,534
6,841,988
Performing arts and spectator sports
5,379,158
5,562,864
5,748,641
Museums, historical sites, zoos, and parks
415,937
450,715
502,450
Amusement, gambling, and recreation
536,154
513,955
590,897
Accommodation and food services
7,220,886
7,851,026
8,319,011
Accommodation
2,518,479
2,753,233
2,961,415
Food services and drinking places
4,702,407
5,097,793
5,357,596
Other services, except public administration
7,284,273
7,623,618
8,030,547
Repair and maintenance
534,396
532,300
536,027
Personal and laundry services
2,910,301
3,048,307
3,150,675
Membership associations and organizations
3,329,776
3,485,596
3,762,267
509,800
557,415
581,578
Private households
Government and government enterprises
31,907,078
33,221,786
33,891,341
Federal, civilian
2,557,766
2,640,667
2,731,753
Military
114,574
120,968
136,763
State and local
29,234,738
30,460,151
31,022,825
State government
1,785,414
1,866,739
2,029,433
Local government
27,449,324
28,593,412
28,993,392
D. Not shown to avoid disclosure of confidential information, but the estimates for this item are included in the total.
NA. Data not available for this year.
1. The estimates of earnings for 2006 are based on the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The estimates for 2007
forward are based on the 2007 NAICS.
2. Census Bureau midyear population estimates. Estimates for 2006-2008 reflect county population estimates available as of April 2010.
3. Contributions for government social insurance are included in earnings by type and industry but they are excluded from personal income.
4. The adjustment for residence is the net inflow of the earnings of interarea commuters. For the United States, it consists of adjustments for
border workers: Wage and salary disbursements to U.S. residents commuting to Canada less wage and salary disbursements to Canadian and
Mexican residents commuting into the United States.
5. Rental income of persons includes the capital consumption adjustment.
6. Proprietors' income includes the inventory valuation adjustment and capital consumption adjustment.
7. Under the 2007 NAICS, internet publishing and broadcasting was reclassified to other information services.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis