The rate of growth in personal income was up sharply in all 16 Maine counties last year, figures from the Bureau of Economic Analysis show.

The BEA’s report, released Thursday, shows that increases last year ranged from 2 percent in Kennebec County to 5.2 percent in Somerset County. Personal incomes grew 2.9 percent in Cumberland County and 3.1 percent in York County.

As previously reported, statewide personal income was up almost 3 percent in 2014, but Thursday’s report was the first to break down personal income figures by county. Personal income is money earned in wages, rental and interest income, along with transfer payments from the government to individuals through programs such as Social Security and veterans’ benefits.

The report showed a sharp turnaround in personal income by county from 2013, when six Maine counties reported declines and the biggest increase was just 1.5 percent, in Kennebec County. The biggest turnaround was in Knox County, from a 3.5 percent decline to a 3 percent gain.

Nationally, the BEA said county personal income grew fastest in McPerson County, Nebraska, where it shot up 83.7 percent. The biggest decline was in Wallace County, Kansas, which dropped by 35.1 percent.

On a per-capita basis, personal income ranged from a low of $33,256 in Franklin County to a high of $49,781 in Cumberland County.


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