Idaho’s 4th quarter personal income rises 1.2 percent from prior quarter

Idaho income rises for first time since mid-2008

BOISE, Idaho — The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis says Idaho saw the highest increase in personal income in the West during the final three months of 2009.

Idaho Department of Labor spokesman Bob Fick says the 1.2 percent increase over the third quarter could be a sign that the decline of the state’s economy is at an end.

Nationally, personal income rose 0.9 percent.

The USBEA also reports that Idaho’s per capita income fell by 4 percent from $32,994 in 2008 to $31,632 in 2009, the state’s first decline since 1969. The state ranking fell four spots from 44 to 48, with only Utah and Mississippi trailing Idaho in per capita income last year.