The U.S.Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released its rankings of personal income by state for 2009.
Personal income throughout the U.S. was down 1.7% in 2009. 44 states had declining incomes in 2009. 6 states saw an increase.
The Best State for Income Growth in 2009 was West Virginia with an increase 2.1%. Despite this growth West Virginia has the 44th lowest income in the U.S. at $32,219. It did improve from a 49th ranking in 2008.
The Worst State For Income Growth was Nevada with a decrease of 4.8%. Nevada with an income of $38,578 was ranked 20th in the U.S in personal income.
The Best State for Income in 2009 was Connecticut . It had the highest state income at $54,397. Additional Top States for Income were New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland and New York .
The Worst State for Income was Mississippi . At $30,013, it has the lowest state income. Utah, Idaho, South Carolina and Kentucky were also Worst States for Income in 2009.
Income is only one factor in determining a Best State to Live. Cost of Living , quality of education and job openings and availability should also be considered.
State Ranking of Income 2009
The ranking of states by income follows:
