FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 21, 2010
Contact: Anne Hughes
501-244-9073
Arkansas economy continues upward climb in per-capita income ranking
State ranking at historic high
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas’s economy continued its upward climb today with the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) release of finalized 2009 per-capita personal income rankings, moving Arkansas up to 44th. This ranking places Arkansas at its highest point since BEA began collecting per-capita income data in the 50 years the federal government has kept those statistics.
“While I’m not happy to be 44th, Arkansans can be proud we are making progress in the right direction. Arkansas continues to see progress in the midst of the worst national economic downturn of our lifetimes,” said Governor Beebe. “Arkansas has seen 25,000 new jobs announced in the past four years, but I won’t stop working to increase the jobs and wages of our people.”
“While I’m not happy to be 44th, Arkansans can be proud we are making progress in the right direction. Arkansas continues to see progress in the midst of the worst national economic downturn of our lifetimes,” said Governor Beebe. “Arkansas has seen 25,000 new jobs announced in the past four years, but I won’t stop working to increase the jobs and wages of our people.”
In 2006, Arkansas ranked 48th in the nation for per-capita personal income. In three and a half years under Governor Beebe’s leadership, Arkansas has moved ahead of four other states at a rate much higher than the national average (16.07% to 9.23%).
To view complete BEA per-capita personal income rankings, please visit: http://www.bea.gov/regional/spi/drill.cfm?seltable=SA1-3&selLineCode=400&selYears=2009
USA Today, in a study on state recovery from the economic downturn, ranked Arkansas 11th in the nation for personal income growth coming out of the recession.
To view the entire story from USA Today, please visit: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-09-21-1Astateincome21_ST_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip.
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