Federal Report Shows Tallahassee Personal Income Up 2.5%, But Lagging Comparable Cities

For the first time since 2007, a recently released report by the United States Department of Commerce indicates that Per Capita Personal Income (PCPI) has increased in all 366 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA). Personal income in the United States was up 5.2% in 2011 over 2010 for an average PCPI of $41,560.

A MSA is a government defined geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. A typical metropolitan area is centered around a single large city that wields substantial influence over the region.

Per capita income is often used as a measure of the wealth of the population of a geographic area, such as a city, county, state or nation.

The data for the Tallahassee MSA shows that PCPI increased 2.5 % over 2010 levels to $34,740. Tallahassee’s gain was less than the 3.4% increase in Florida PCPI, which increased to $39,636.

The report released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis is a treasure trove of data that allows for comparisons across states, counties and cities. The data provides a look into how communities are recovering from the devastating economic climate over the last six years.

Tallahassee Reports has put together a table that compares the change in per capita personal income from 2001 to 2011 in16 Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the Southeast.

Comparison of Per Capita Personal Income, 2001-2011

City(MSA)	Pop.	2001 PCPI	US Rank	Group Rank	2011 PCPI	US Rank	Group Rank	% Change	US Rank Change	State Capital	Top 100 University
Charlottesville, VA	203,882	$31,893	069	03	$44,350	047	01	39.1%	22	N	Y
Richmond, VA	1,269,380	$32,787	051	02	$43,046	063	02	31.3%	-12	Y	Y
Birmingham, AL	1,132,264	$30,028	104	04	$40,816	090	03	35.9%	14	N	Y
Raleigh, NC	1,163,515	$35,019	030	01	$40,631	093	04	16.0%	-63	N	Y
Baton Rouge, LA	808,242	$25,928	217	10	$38,985	132	05	50.4%	85	Y	Y
Columbus, GA	301,439	$25,808	222	11	$38,653	138	06	49.8%	84	N	N
Jackson, MS	545,394	$27,170	175	07	$37,544	161	07	38.2%	14	Y	N
Panama City, FL	169,856	$25,409	239	12	$37,068	173	08	45.9%	66	N	N
Knoxville, TN	704,500	$28,220	145	05	$36,958	177	09	31.0%	-32	N	Y
Montgomery, AL	378,608	$27,096	178	08	$36,450	185	10	34.5%	-07	Y	N
Pensacola, FL	453,218	$24,865	267	15	$36,079	194	11	45.1%	73	N	N
Gainesville, FL	266,369	$25,119	252	13	$35,497	206	12	41.3%	46	N	Y
Columbia, SC	777,116	$27,874	150	06	$35,350	212	13	26.8%	-62	Y	Y
Tallahassee, FL	369,758	$26,337	204	09	$34,740	232	14	31.9%	-28	Y	Y
Tuscaloosa, AL	221,553	$24,523	287	16	$34,305	248	15	39.9%	39	N	Y
Lakeland, FL	609,492	$24,898	266	14	$33,447	267	16	34.3%	-01	N	N

Columns are sortable by clicking on arrow icon.

The table shows the rank of 16 selected MSA’s in 2001 and then compares those rankings with personal income levels in 2011. The biggest movers up the US rankings were Baton Rouge, LA, Columbus, GA, Panama City, FL and Pensacola, FL. For example, looking at the “US Rank Change” column, Baton Rouge’s PCPI improved 85 spots from 217 in 2001 to 132 in 2011. Only one of these cities was a home of a state capital.

The biggest movers down the US rankings were Raleigh, NC, Knoxville, TN, Columbia SC, and Tallahassee, FL. Despite Raleigh, NC’s big drop, they still remained in the top 100 in the United States. Of the four decliners, three were home to state capitals.

Based on this data, one could easily conclude that during the last decade it was not beneficial to be the home of a state capital. However, a closer look reveals that in 2001, all cities that were home to a state capital were in the top ten of the group rankings. In 2011, 4 state capital cities remained in the top 10, with Baton Rouge, LA being the biggest mover from number 10 in the “Group Rank” 2001 to number 5 in 2011.

The two state capital cities that fell from the top 10 were Columbia, SC and Tallahassee, FL. The decline in PCPI was not insignificant. The failure to keep pace with personal income over the last decade has resulted in billions of dollars in lost income. For example, in 2011 if Tallahassee had the PCPI of Baton Rouge, LA, a city it was ahead of in 2001, the additional annual personal income would have been approximately $1.5 billion.

Tallahassee Reports will continue to investigate why some cities with state capitals and top universities were able to maintain levels of personal income, and in the case of Baton Rouge improve its position, while Columbia, SC and Tallahassee, FL lost ground.

  economy, MSA, Personal Income, Tallahassee