Yancey County vs. North Carolina Comparative Trends Analysis: Per Capita Personal Income Growth and Change, 1969-2022 Introduction Yancey County: 2022 PCI = $42,006 2022 Percent of State = 72.29% North Carolina: 2022 PCI = $58,109 Per Capita Income (PCI) is one of the most widely used indicators for gauging the economic performance and changing fortunes of local economies. It is used as a yardstick to assess the economic well being of a region's residents and the quality of consumer markets. It serves as a barometer for calibrating the economic performance of a region over time and to judge differences in relative economic prosperity between regions. Shifting trends in local per capita income growth have important social and political ramifications and significant implications in formulating local economic development strategies and initiatives. Data Definition: This measure of income is calculated as the total personal income of the residents of an area divided by the population of the area. Per capita personal income is often used as an indicator of consumers' purchasing power and of the economic well-being of the residents of an area. Personal income is measured as a flow throughout the year, while the measurement of population is at one point in mid-year. Therefore, per capita income is distorted if a significant change in population occurs during the year. For smaller counties in particular, per capita income in any given year may be exceptionally high or low for the short run because of unusual local conditions, such as a bumper crop, a catastrophe, or a major construction project as the building of a dam or nuclear power plant. Farm incomes are notorious for being especially volatile year-to-year, owing to changing weather, commodity market conditions, and alterations in government programs. Therefore, the per capita income of farm-dependent counties may exhibit sharp fluctuations over time. The presence of large institutional populations--such as residents attending a local college or the residents of a local prison or state mental institution--can significantly lower the per capita income estimates of an area. Such results may not reflect the relative economic well being of the non-institutional population and may mislead if care is not given to their interpretation. Yancey County Per Capita Personal Income, 1970-2022 Current vs. Constant Dollars Figure 1. Figure 1 depicts Yancey County's annual per capita personal income over 1970-2022 in current and constant (2017) dollars. Constant dollar measurements remove the effects of inflation. They allow for comparison of changes in the real purchasing power of Yancey County over time. When measured in current dollars, Yancey County's per capita personal income increased 1,968.06%, from $2,031 in 1970 to $42,006 in 2022. When measured in constant 2017 dollars to adjust for inflation, it advanced 252.26%, from $10,276 in 1970 to $36,199 in 2022. Real Per Capita Personal Income, 1969-2022 Figure 2. Figure 2 traces Yancey County's and North Carolina's annual real per capita personal income for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate real per capita personal income patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Yancey County's real per capita personal income rose from $9,927 in 1969 to $36,199 in 2022, for a net gain of $26,272, or 264.66%. In comparison, North Carolina's real per capita personal income advanced from $16,693 in 1969 to $50,075 in 2022, for a net advance of $33,383, or 199.98%. Real Per Capita Personal Income Indices (1969=100): 1969-2022 Figure 3. Figure 3 portrays Yancey County's real per capita personal income growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with North Carolina, the United States. The growth indices shown here express each region's real per capita personal income in 1969 as a base figure of 100, and the real per capita personal incomes in later years as a percentage of the 1969 base figure. This method allows for more direct comparison of differences in real per capita personal income growth between regions that may differ vastly in size. Yancey County's overall real per capita personal income growth was 264.66% over 1969-2022 outpaced North Carolina's increase of 199.98%, and topped the United States' increase of 171.04%. Per Capita Personal Income as a Percent of the U.S. Average: 1969-2022 Figure 4. Figure 4 portrays the trends for per capita personal income relative to the national average by tracing Yancey County and North Carolina per capita personal income as a percent of the national average over 1969-2022. In 1969, Yancey County's per capita personal income amounted to 47.69% of the national average; in 2022, it approximated 64.16%. Similarly, in 1969, North Carolina's per capita personal income totaled 80.19% of the national average; in 2022, it consisted of 88.76%. Yancey County Real Per Capita Personal Income: Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022 Figure 5. Figure 5 displays the short-run pattern of Yancey County's real per capita personal income growth by tracking the year-to-year percent change over 1970-2022. The average annual percent change for the entire 53-year period is also traced on this chart to provide a benchmark for gauging periods of relative high--and relative low--growth against the backdrop of the long-term average. On average, Yancey County's real per capita personal income grew at an annual rate of 2.52% over 1970-2022. The county posted its highest growth in 1986 (12.63%) and recorded its lowest growth in 2022 (-5.60%). In 2022, Yancey County's real per capita personal income declined by -5.60% Yancey County Real Per Capita Personal Income: Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1970-2022 Figure 6. Over the past five decades some counties have experienced extreme swings in growth, and often such swings have tended to coincide with the decades themselves. Figure 6 again traces the annual percent change in Yancey County's real per capita personal income since 1970, but this time they are displayed with average growth rates for the decade of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020-2022. During the 1970s, Yancey County's annual real per capita personal income growth rate averaged 3.92%. It averaged 4.33% during the 1980s, 1.94% in the 1990s, 1.50% throughout the 2000s, 1.50% during the 2010s, 0.59% thus far this decade (2020-2022). Real Per Capita Personal Income Growth: Average Annual Percent Change by Decade Figure 7. Figure 7 compares the decade average growth rates for Yancey County noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for North Carolina and the nation. As the chart reveals, Yancey County's average annual real per capita personal income growth exceeded North Carolina's average in the 1970s (3.92% vs. 2.62%), exceeded North Carolina's average in the 1980s (4.33% vs. 3.09%), fell below North Carolina's average during the 1990s (1.94% vs. 2.24%), registered above North Carolina's average during the 2000s (1.50% vs. 1.10%), outperformed North Carolina's average throughout the 2010s (1.50% vs. 1.49%), and recorded under North Carolina's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (0.59% vs. 2.43%). Finally, relative to nationwide real per capita personal income growth trends, Yancey County outpaced the nation in the 1970s (3.92% vs. 2.37%), registered above the nation during the 1980s (4.33% vs. 2.19%), trailed the nation throughout the 1990s (1.94% vs. 2.01%), recorded above the nation during the 2000s (1.50% vs. 1.10%), trailed the nation during the 2010s (1.50% vs. 1.97%), and trailed the nation over 2020-2022 (0.59% vs. 1.78%).
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