Washington Sees Incomes Soar as Most of U.S. Declines
American incomes have tumbled over the last decade. But for many people in Washington, D.C., it’s been something of a party.
The income of the typical D.C. household rose 23.3% between 2000 and 2012 to an inflation-adjusted $66,583, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, its most comprehensive snapshot of America’s demographic, social and economic trends. During this period, median household incomes for the nation as a whole dropped 6.6% — from $55,030 to $51,371. The state of Mississippi, which had one of the biggest declines, dropped 15% to $37,095: Nearly one in three people there have an income that is near the poverty line.
The Washington, D.C. metro area — which includes the surrounding suburbs in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia — has it even better, with a median household income of $88,233 that ranks highest among the U.S.’s 25 most populous metro areas. Tampa, Florida’s median income, by contrast, is under $45,000.
D.C. isn’t the only gainer, of course. Four U.S. states saw real income increases between 2000 and 2012, including North Dakota, which saw a 17% jump, thanks to its oil-and-gas boom. But a whopping 35 states saw declines, including Indiana (-13%), Georgia (-14%), and Michigan (-19%).
As the Journal has noted recently, the U.S.’s lethargic economic recovery is hindering income growth, depriving citizens of spending power and leaving many stuck in poverty.
But D.C. — which wasn’t hit as hard as other major U.S. cities by the 2007-2009 recession — is a different story. Its local economy is expanding faster than the broader nation, and its property market is soaring, thanks in part to increased federal-government spending and an influx of federal contractors, lawyers and consultants.
There is, however, a dark side to D.C.’s relative prosperity.
The share of people in D.C. experiencing what’s called “deep poverty” — incomes that are 50% below the poverty line — actually rose between 2000 and 2012 from 9.4% to 10.4%. Forty-five U.S. states saw this rate rise over the same time period. But D.C.’s rate is the highest in the country, beating out Mississippi.
U.S.
|
$51,371
|
-6.6%
|
7.0%
|
2.0
|
Alabama
|
$41,574
|
-6.5%
|
8.5%
|
2.4
|
Alaska
|
$67,712
|
-4.2%
|
4.4%
|
0.8
|
Arizona
|
$47,826
|
-6.9%
|
8.9%
|
2.3
|
Arkansas
|
$40,112
|
-8.8%
|
8.2%
|
2.1
|
California
|
$58,328
|
-6.1%
|
7.4%
|
2.1
|
Colorado
|
$56,765
|
-8.1%
|
6.1%
|
2.3
|
Connecticut
|
$67,276
|
-6.5%
|
4.9%
|
1.3
|
Delaware
|
$58,415
|
-8.1%
|
5.8%
|
2.1
|
District of Columbia
|
$66,583
|
23.3%
|
10.4%
|
1.0
|
Florida
|
$45,040
|
-11.2%
|
7.5%
|
2.0
|
Georgia
|
$47,209
|
-13.7%
|
8.8%
|
3.5
|
Hawaii
|
$66,259
|
-3.4%
|
5.8%
|
1.9
|
Idaho
|
$45,489
|
-9.2%
|
6.1%
|
2.3
|
Illinois
|
$55,137
|
-9.5%
|
6.5%
|
1.9
|
Indiana
|
$46,974
|
-13.2%
|
7.2%
|
3.0
|
Iowa
|
$50,957
|
0.1%
|
5.4%
|
1.8
|
Kansas
|
$50,241
|
-5.9%
|
5.6%
|
2.2
|
Kentucky
|
$41,724
|
-4.8%
|
8.1%
|
2.2
|
Louisiana
|
$42,944
|
4.2%
|
8.6%
|
0.3
|
Maine
|
$46,709
|
-3.9%
|
5.4%
|
2.0
|
Maryland
|
$71,122
|
1.7%
|
4.9%
|
1.0
|
Massachusetts
|
$65,339
|
-1.4%
|
5.4%
|
1.4
|
Michigan
|
$46,859
|
-19.1%
|
8.0%
|
3.8
|
Minnesota
|
$58,906
|
-7.4%
|
4.9%
|
2.4
|
Mississippi
|
$37,095
|
-15.0%
|
10.2%
|
3.1
|
Missouri
|
$45,321
|
-8.5%
|
7.1%
|
2.6
|
Montana
|
$45,076
|
1.8%
|
6.2%
|
1.4
|
Nebraska
|
$50,723
|
1.8%
|
5.3%
|
1.3
|
Nevada
|
$49,760
|
-11.9%
|
7.1%
|
2.8
|
New Hampshire
|
$63,280
|
-6.4%
|
4.2%
|
2.0
|
New Jersey
|
$69,667
|
-3.4%
|
5.0%
|
1.1
|
New Mexico
|
$42,558
|
-4.8%
|
9.2%
|
2.0
|
New York
|
$56,448
|
-3.1%
|
7.1%
|
1.0
|
North Carolina
|
$45,150
|
-10.3%
|
7.9%
|
2.7
|
North Dakota
|
$53,585
|
17.0%
|
5.2%
|
0.6
|
Ohio
|
$46,829
|
-11.3%
|
7.6%
|
3.0
|
Oklahoma
|
$44,312
|
-2.5%
|
7.4%
|
1.3
|
Oregon
|
$49,161
|
-5.4%
|
7.9%
|
2.5
|
Pennsylvania
|
$51,230
|
-2.8%
|
6.0%
|
1.9
|
Rhode Island
|
$54,554
|
-6.4%
|
6.1%
|
0.9
|
South Carolina
|
$43,107
|
-10.9%
|
8.2%
|
2.2
|
South Dakota
|
$48,362
|
4.1%
|
6.3%
|
2.0
|
Tennessee
|
$42,764
|
-12.2%
|
7.7%
|
2.1
|
Texas
|
$50,740
|
-3.1%
|
7.4%
|
1.1
|
Utah
|
$57,049
|
-6.0%
|
5.5%
|
1.7
|
Vermont
|
$52,977
|
-1.6%
|
5.3%
|
1.1
|
Virginia
|
$61,741
|
-1.7%
|
5.2%
|
1.6
|
Washington
|
$57,573
|
-4.5%
|
6.3%
|
1.6
|
West Virginia
|
$40,196
|
3.6%
|
8.4%
|
0.7
|
Wisconsin
|
$51,059
|
-9.3%
|
5.7%
|
2.4
|
Wyoming
|
$54,901
|
6.9%
|
5.2%
|
1.1
|
Source: Census Bureau
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