Personal incomes in metro Baton Rouge increased by 1.5% in 2010, well below the 2.9% increase reported across U.S. metro areas. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis says personal income in metro Baton Rouge topped $30.4 billion in 2010, compared with just under $30 billion. Personal income is defined as what people earn from all sources, including salary and wages, rental income and personal dividend income. Out of 366 metro areas, Baton Rouge had the 345th largest growth. That comparatively low ranking was caused by a local drop in net earnings, which fell 0.3% from 2009.
Shreveport-Bossier saw the biggest gain of any Louisiana metro area, with personal income going up by 4.1% in 2010. Lafayette, which was up by 3.4%, and New Orleans, which saw a 3.3% increase in income, also topped the national average. Alexandria had the same 1.5% growth as Baton Rouge, and Lake Charles had the weakest performance of any Louisiana city, at 1.1% growth. See the full report here.
