List of U.S. cities by adjusted per capita personal income estimates the per capita personal income (PCPI) of residents of United States' Metropolitan statistical areas (MSA). A MSA is defined as a central city or cities and their surrounding area of influence. The PCPI is adjusted by differences in the cost of living, called "regional price parities" by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The effect of adjusting the per capita personal income by the cost of living is to narrow the difference in the standard of living between most high-income cities and most low-income cities.
The BEA defines regional price parities as an estimate of "the differences in price levels across states and metropolitan areas for a given year and are expressed as a percentage of the overall national price level." [1] The BEA defines personal income as follows:
Personal income is the income received by, or on behalf of, all persons from all sources: from participation as laborers in production, from owning a home or business, from the ownership of financial assets, and from government and business in the form of transfers. It includes income from domestic sources as well as the rest of world. It does not include realized or unrealized capital gains or losses. Personal income is estimated before the deduction of personal income taxes and other personal taxes and is reported in current dollars (no adjustment is made for price changes). [2]
Per Capita Personal Income (PCPI) is a more inclusive estimate of the average standard of living of residents in the U.S. than measures of per capita income. PCPI "includes wages, benefits, proprietor income, dividends, interest, rent, and transfer payments" such as Social Security, veteran's benefits, farm subsidies, welfare, and food stamps. [3]
The difference in estimates of per capita income and per capita personal income is large. In 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau calculated a per capita income of the United States as 34,103 dollars. [4] The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis calculated the PCPI as 56,490 dollars. [5]
A more valid accounting of the differences in the standard of living of residents in different citizens requires recognition that prices vary from state to state and city to city. In general, a dollar has more purchasing power in the poorer cities than it does in the richer cities. The difference in housing costs from city to city is especially important. The Bureau of Economic Analysis has calculated that the regional price parity in 2019 of the 50 largest MSAs ranges from 88.3 in Birmingham, Alabama (which has the lowest cost of living of the 50 most populous MSAs) to 126.7 in San Jose, California (the highest cost of living of the 50 most populous MSAs). An income of $0.88 in Birmingham equals an income of $1.27 in San Jose with the U.S as a whole having an average PCPI of $1.00. To put it another way, the purchasing power of a dollar compared to the U.S. average is $1.13 in Birmingham and $0.79 in San Jose. The net impact of accounting for differences in the purchasing power of a dollar in different MSAs is to narrow the gap in the standard of living between rich and poor cities. [6]
The statistical analysis is complicated by the various definitions of what constitutes a "city." There are three commonly used definitions:
The population and per capita personal income estimates of metropolitan statistical areas are used in the following table.
Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is most often used by the government of a single country to measure its economic health. Due to its complex and subjective nature, this measure is often revised before being considered a reliable indicator.
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Purchasing power parity (PPP) is a measure of the price of specific goods in different countries and is used to compare the absolute purchasing power of the countries' currencies. PPP is effectively the ratio of the price of a basket of goods at one location divided by the price of the basket of goods at a different location. The PPP inflation and exchange rate may differ from the market exchange rate because of tariffs, and other transaction costs.
Cost of living is the cost of maintaining a certain standard of living. Changes in the cost of living over time can be operationalized in a cost-of-living index. Cost of living calculations are also used to compare the cost of maintaining a certain standard of living in different geographic areas. Differences in cost of living between locations can be measured in terms of purchasing power parity rates. An sharp rise in the cost of living can trigger a cost of living crisis where purchasing power is lost and the previous lifestyle is no longer affordable.
The gross national income (GNI), previously known as gross national product (GNP), is the total domestic and foreign output claimed by residents of a country, consisting of gross domestic product (GDP), plus factor incomes earned by foreign residents, minus income earned in the domestic economy by nonresidents. Comparing GNI to GDP shows the degree to which a nation's GDP represents domestic or international activity. GNI has gradually replaced GNP in international statistics. While being conceptually identical, it is calculated differently. GNI is the basis of calculation of the largest part of contributions to the budget of the European Union. In February 2017, Ireland's GDP became so distorted from the base erosion and profit shifting ("BEPS") tax planning tools of U.S. multinationals, that the Central Bank of Ireland replaced Irish GDP with a new metric, Irish Modified GNI. In 2017, Irish GDP was 162% of Irish Modified GNI.
The Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area is a United States Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in the state of Virginia, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as of June 2003. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 228,616. In 2009 this was estimated to have risen to 247,447; as of 2016, the Lynchburg MSA was estimated to have a population of 260,320, making it the fifth-largest metro area in the state.
Gross metropolitan product (GMP) is a monetary measure of the value of all final goods and services produced within a metropolitan statistical area during a specified period. GMP estimates are commonly used to compare the relative economic performance among such areas.
Household income is an economic standard that can be applied to one household, or aggregated across a large group such as a county, city, or the whole country. It is commonly used by the United States government and private institutions to describe a household's economic status or to track economic trends in the US.
Per capita personal income in the United States was estimated for 2021 by the International Monetary Fund to be US $68,309. One of the most commonly used metrics for gauging economic performance and shifting fortunes of local economies is per capita income (PCI). It is measured as the amount of wage and compensation disbursements, other labor income, proprietors' income with inventory valuation and capital consumption adjustments, persons' rental income with capital consumption adjustments, personal dividend income, personal interest income, and transfer payments to persons, less personal social insurance contributions. The Per Capita Personal Income of the United States defines the personal income of a specific area, earned by or on behalf of all of the persons who live in the area. As a result, personal income figures are presented by the income recipients' place of residence. This measure of income is calculated as the personal income of the residents of a given area divided by the resident population of the area. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) uses the United States Census Bureau's annual midyear population projections to calculate per capita personal income for states and counties. Except for college students and other seasonal populations, which are counted on April 1, the population for all other groups is counted on July 1.
Personal income is an individual's total earnings from wages, investment interest, and other sources. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a median weekly personal income of $1,037 for full-time workers in the United States in Q1 2022. For the year 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the median annual earnings for all workers was $41,535; and more specifically estimates that median annual earnings for those who worked full-time, year round, was $56,287.
The Lafayette-West Lafayette, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in Indiana, anchored by the cities of Lafayette and West Lafayette. As of the July 1, 2021, the MSA had an estimated population of 224,709. Metro area population in 2021 is 237,130 and was 235,066 in 2020, a growth of 16% over 2010. In 2010, the Lafayette, Indiana, metro area population was 210,297.