Per capita income in Tulsa County highest in state
BY LAURIE WINSLOW World Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
11/27/12 at 4:21 AM
Metro Tulsa's personal income rose in 2011 just as it did for all 366 metropolitan statistical areas across the nation, according to data released Monday by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Tulsa County's per capita personal income ranked first among Oklahoma's 77 counties, and the per capita incomes for Tulsa County and metro Tulsa both exceeded the U.S. average of $41,560, the BEA report said.
Last year marked the first time since 2007 that all metros saw their personal income rise, the agency reported.
Personal income is a measure of the income received by all residents 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.
Nationwide, personal income growth ranged from 14.8 percent in Odessa, Texas, to 1.0 percent in Rochester, Minn.
Metro Tulsa's total personal income of $39.9 billion in 2011 was up from $37.2 billion in 2010. The 7.6 percent growth rate put the Tulsa area at No. 20 out of all the nation's metros, according to the BEA.
Tulsa's oil and gas industry helped contribute to the rise in personal income, just as it did for some other areas in the country, said Bob Ball, the Tulsa Metro Chamber's economist.
"A lot of it has to do with the oil industry," he said. "We really need to be thankful we have it. It's quite an anchor and a foundation."
Last year, the seven-county Tulsa area saw its per capita personal income rise to $42,236 from $39,529 in 2010, making it the 14th fastest-growing metro in the nation, Ball said.
"With per capita income of $46,804, Tulsa County ranked 314th out of 3,144 counties in per capita income, placing the county in the top 10 percent nationally." Ball added.
Nationwide, per capita personal income among all the nation's metros ranged from $78,504 in Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn., to $21,620 in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas, according to the BEA.
Original Print Headline: Tulsa's per capita income top in state
Laurie Winslow 918-581-8466
laurie.winslow@tulsaworld.com
