Delaware vs. United States
Comparative Trends Analysis:
Per Capita Personal Income Growth and Change, 1958-2022
Introduction
Delaware vs. United States
Delaware:
2022 PCI = $63,243
U.S.:
2022 PCI = $65,470
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:
Personal income is the income that is received by persons from all sources. It is calculated as the sum of wage and salary disbursements, supplements to wages and salaries, proprietors' income with inventory valuation and capital consumption adjustments, rental income of persons with capital consumption adjustment, personal dividend income, personal interest income, and personal current tranfer receipts, less contributions for government social insurance. 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. In computing per capita personal income, BEA uses the Census Bureau's annual midyear population estimates.
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 states 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 states 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.
Delaware Per Capita Personal Income, 1959-2022
Current vs. Constant Dollars
Delaware Per Capita Personal Income, 1959-2022
Current vs. Constant Dollars
Figure 1.
Figure 1 depicts Delaware's annual per capita personal income over 1959-2022 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 Delaware over time.
When measured in current dollars, Delaware's per capita personal income increased 2,164.61%, from $2,793 in 1959 to $63,243 in 2022. When measured in constant 2017 dollars to adjust for inflation, it advanced 198.39%, from $18,265 in 1959 to $54,500 in 2022.
Real Per Capita Personal Income Indices (1958=100): 1958-2022
Real Per Capita Personal Income Indices (1958=100): 1958-2022
Figure 2.
Figure 2 shows Delaware's real per capita personal income growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with the United States. The growth indices shown here express each region's real per capita personal income in 1958 as a base figure of 100, and the real per capita personal incomes in later years as a percentage of the 1958 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.
Delaware's overall real per capita personal income growth was 201.03% over 1958-2022 trailed the United States' increase of 293.54%.
Per Capita Personal Income as a Percent of the U.S. Average: 1958-2022
Per Capita Personal Income as a Percent of the U.S. Average: 1958-2022
Figure 3.
Figure 3 portrays the trends for per capita personal income relative to the national average by tracing Delaware per capita personal income as a percent of the national average over 1958-2022.
In 1958, Delaware's per capita personal income amounted to 126.28% of the national average; in 2022, it approximated 96.60%.
Delaware Real Per Capita Personal Income:
Annual Percent Change, 1959-2022
Delaware Real Per Capita Personal Income:
Annual Percent Change, 1959-2022
Figure 4.
Figure 4 shows the short-run pattern of Delaware's real per capita personal income growth by tracking the year-to-year percent change over 1959-2022. The average annual percent change for the entire 64-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, Delaware's real per capita personal income grew at an annual rate of 1.76% over 1959-2022. The state posted its highest growth in 1998 (8.10%) and recorded its lowest growth in 2008 (-3.54%). In 2022, Delaware's real per capita personal income grew by 0.88%
Delaware Real Per Capita Personal Income:
Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1959-2022
Delaware Real Per Capita Personal Income:
Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1959-2022
Figure 5.
Over the past six decades some states have experienced extreme swings in growth, and often such swings have tended to coincide with the decades themselves. Figure 5 again traces the annual percent change in Delaware's real per capita personal income since 1959, but this time they are overlayed with average growth rates for the decade of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020-2022.
During the 1960s, Delaware's annual real per capita personal income growth rate averaged 2.76%. It averaged 1.30% throughout the 1970s, 2.90% during the 1980s, 1.84% during the 1990s, 0.71% during the 2000s, 1.20% during the 2010s, 1.63% thus far this decade (2020-2022).
Real Per Capita Personal Income Growth:
Average Annual Percent Change by Decade
Real Per Capita Personal Income Growth:
Average Annual Percent Change by Decade
Figure 6.
Figure 6 compares the decade average growth rates for Delaware noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for the nation.
Relative to nationwide real per capita personal income growth trends, Delaware lagged the nation during the 1960s (2.76% vs. 3.49%), recorded underneath the nation during the 1970s (1.30% vs. 2.37%), outperformed the nation in the 1980s (2.90% vs. 2.19%), lagged the nation over the 1990s (1.84% vs. 2.01%), recorded underneath the nation throughout the 2000s (0.71% vs. 1.10%), fell below the nation during the 2010s (1.20% vs. 1.97%), and lagged the nation over 2020-2022 (1.63% vs. 1.78%).
   
 
Real* Per Capita Personal Income Growth:
Average Annual Percent Change
 
 
 
1.76
2.76
1.30
2.90
1.84
0.71
1.20
1.63
0.88
 
2.18
3.49
2.37
2.19
2.01
1.10
1.97
1.78
-4.55
 
   

Interactive TableTip: To augment your analysis click on the column headers in the following table to rank and/or sort the data.

   
 
Delaware:
Per Capita Personal Income, 1958-2022
 
1958
 
2,728
0.151
18,104
100.0
N
126.28
1959
 
2,793
0.153
18,265
100.9
0.89
123.57
1960
 
2,873
0.155
18,488
102.1
1.22
123.80
1961
 
2,888
0.157
18,390
101.6
-0.53
121.17
1962
 
3,014
0.159
18,972
104.8
3.16
120.64
1963
 
3,140
0.161
19,532
107.9
2.95
121.31
1964
 
3,302
0.163
20,248
111.8
3.66
120.74
1965
 
3,561
0.165
21,527
118.9
6.32
122.07
1966
 
3,687
0.170
21,738
120.1
0.98
117.65
1967
 
3,868
0.174
22,243
122.9
2.32
116.23
1968
 
4,148
0.181
22,958
126.8
3.22
114.69
1969
 
4,521
0.189
23,941
132.2
4.28
115.01
1970
 
4,724
0.198
23,901
132.0
-0.17
112.54
1971
 
5,032
0.206
24,421
134.9
2.17
112.55
1972
 
5,446
0.213
25,558
141.2
4.66
112.13
1973
 
5,979
0.225
26,627
147.1
4.18
111.49
1974
 
6,426
0.248
25,917
143.2
-2.67
110.11
1975
 
6,844
0.269
25,479
140.7
-1.69
108.22
1976
 
7,430
0.283
26,223
144.8
2.92
108.07
1977
 
7,971
0.302
26,414
145.9
0.73
106.06
1978
 
8,696
0.323
26,941
148.8
2.00
104.06
1979
 
9,549
0.351
27,172
150.1
0.86
103.43
1980
 
10,815
0.389
27,782
153.5
2.24
106.20
1981
 
11,886
0.424
28,023
154.8
0.87
105.27
1982
 
12,720
0.448
28,411
156.9
1.38
106.09
1983
 
13,431
0.467
28,775
158.9
1.28
105.75
1984
 
14,643
0.484
30,229
167.0
5.05
105.42
1985
 
15,727
0.501
31,374
173.3
3.79
106.65
1986
 
16,492
0.512
32,198
177.8
2.63
106.52
1987
 
17,490
0.528
33,123
183.0
2.87
107.78
1988
 
18,912
0.549
34,469
190.4
4.06
108.43
1989
 
20,692
0.573
36,136
199.6
4.84
110.90
1990
 
21,462
0.598
35,904
198.3
-0.64
109.39
1991
 
22,276
0.618
36,061
199.2
0.44
111.10
1992
 
22,808
0.634
35,963
198.6
-0.27
108.21
1993
 
23,300
0.650
35,846
198.0
-0.33
107.31
1994
 
23,912
0.664
36,035
199.0
0.53
106.03
1995
 
24,882
0.678
36,724
202.8
1.91
105.53
1996
 
26,190
0.692
37,845
209.0
3.05
105.92
1997
 
27,022
0.704
38,379
212.0
1.41
104.23
1998
 
29,444
0.710
41,490
229.2
8.10
107.10
1999
 
31,119
0.720
43,220
238.7
4.17
108.84
2000
 
33,810
0.738
45,799
253.0
5.97
110.67
2001
 
36,917
0.753
49,025
270.8
7.04
117.02
2002
 
37,660
0.763
49,364
272.7
0.69
118.42
2003
 
37,985
0.779
48,765
269.4
-1.21
116.31
2004
 
38,843
0.798
48,660
268.8
-0.22
113.63
2005
 
39,133
0.821
47,649
263.2
-2.08
109.71
2006
 
40,736
0.844
48,243
266.5
1.24
107.65
2007
 
41,539
0.866
47,962
264.9
-0.58
104.93
2008
 
41,254
0.892
46,264
255.5
-3.54
100.98
2009
 
41,056
0.889
46,171
255.0
-0.20
104.45
2010
 
41,101
0.905
45,408
250.8
-1.65
101.34
2011
 
43,781
0.928
47,176
260.6
3.89
102.65
2012
 
43,775
0.945
46,306
255.8
-1.84
98.95
2013
 
43,948
0.958
45,883
253.4
-0.91
98.98
2014
 
45,364
0.971
46,709
258.0
1.80
98.01
2015
 
47,244
0.973
48,555
268.2
3.95
98.30
2016
 
48,192
0.983
49,033
270.8
0.98
98.41
2017
 
50,002
1.000
50,002
276.2
1.98
98.04
2018
 
52,674
1.020
51,618
285.1
3.23
98.81
2019
 
53,746
1.035
51,922
286.8
0.59
96.76
2020
 
55,778
1.046
53,307
294.4
2.67
94.29
2021
 
58,889
1.090
54,026
298.4
1.35
91.40
2022
 
63,243
1.160
54,500
301.0
0.88
96.60
Source: Calculations by the United States Regional Economic Analysis Project (US-REAP)
with data provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
November 2023
REAP_PI_SA1400_700_PN
 
   

Interactive TableTip: To augment your analysis click on the column headers in the following table to rank and/or sort the data.

   
 
United States:
Per Capita Personal Income, 1958-2022
 
1958
 
2,160
0.151
14,336
100.0
N
1959
 
2,260
0.153
14,781
103.1
3.10
1960
 
2,321
0.155
14,934
104.2
1.04
1961
 
2,383
0.157
15,177
105.9
1.63
1962
 
2,498
0.159
15,725
109.7
3.61
1963
 
2,589
0.161
16,101
112.3
2.39
1964
 
2,735
0.163
16,770
117.0
4.16
1965
 
2,918
0.165
17,636
123.0
5.16
1966
 
3,134
0.170
18,477
128.9
4.77
1967
 
3,328
0.174
19,137
133.5
3.57
1968
 
3,617
0.181
20,017
139.6
4.59
1969
 
3,931
0.189
20,816
145.2
3.99
1970
 
4,198
0.198
21,238
148.1
2.03
1971
 
4,471
0.206
21,697
151.3
2.16
1972
 
4,857
0.213
22,793
159.0
5.05
1973
 
5,363
0.225
23,883
166.6
4.78
1974
 
5,836
0.248
23,537
164.2
-1.45
1975
 
6,324
0.269
23,544
164.2
0.03
1976
 
6,875
0.283
24,265
169.3
3.07
1977
 
7,516
0.302
24,906
173.7
2.64
1978
 
8,356
0.323
25,889
180.6
3.95
1979
 
9,232
0.351
26,271
183.2
1.47
1980
 
10,184
0.389
26,160
182.5
-0.42
1981
 
11,291
0.424
26,621
185.7
1.76
1982
 
11,990
0.448
26,781
186.8
0.60
1983
 
12,701
0.467
27,210
189.8
1.61
1984
 
13,889
0.484
28,674
200.0
5.38
1985
 
14,746
0.501
29,417
205.2
2.59
1986
 
15,482
0.512
30,227
210.8
2.75
1987
 
16,228
0.528
30,733
214.4
1.67
1988
 
17,442
0.549
31,790
221.7
3.44
1989
 
18,658
0.573
32,584
227.3
2.50
1990
 
19,619
0.598
32,821
228.9
0.73
1991
 
20,050
0.618
32,457
226.4
-1.11
1992
 
21,077
0.634
33,234
231.8
2.39
1993
 
21,713
0.650
33,405
233.0
0.51
1994
 
22,552
0.664
33,986
237.1
1.74
1995
 
23,577
0.678
34,798
242.7
2.39
1996
 
24,725
0.692
35,729
249.2
2.67
1997
 
25,925
0.704
36,822
256.8
3.06
1998
 
27,493
0.710
38,740
270.2
5.21
1999
 
28,592
0.720
39,711
277.0
2.51
2000
 
30,551
0.738
41,384
288.7
4.21
2001
 
31,548
0.753
41,895
292.2
1.23
2002
 
31,801
0.763
41,684
290.8
-0.50
2003
 
32,659
0.779
41,928
292.5
0.59
2004
 
34,183
0.798
42,821
298.7
2.13
2005
 
35,669
0.821
43,432
303.0
1.43
2006
 
37,843
0.844
44,816
312.6
3.19
2007
 
39,588
0.866
45,710
318.8
1.99
2008
 
40,854
0.892
45,816
319.6
0.23
2009
 
39,307
0.889
44,204
308.3
-3.52
2010
 
40,557
0.905
44,808
312.5
1.36
2011
 
42,649
0.928
45,956
320.6
2.56
2012
 
44,237
0.945
46,795
326.4
1.83
2013
 
44,401
0.958
46,357
323.4
-0.94
2014
 
46,287
0.971
47,659
332.4
2.81
2015
 
48,060
0.973
49,394
344.5
3.64
2016
 
48,971
0.983
49,826
347.6
0.88
2017
 
51,004
1.000
51,004
355.8
2.36
2018
 
53,309
1.020
52,240
364.4
2.42
2019
 
55,547
1.035
53,662
374.3
2.72
2020
 
59,153
1.046
56,533
394.3
5.35
2021
 
64,430
1.090
59,110
412.3
4.56
2022
 
65,470
1.160
56,419
393.5
-4.55
Source: Calculations by the United States Regional Economic Analysis Project (US-REAP)
with data provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
November 2023
REAP_PI_SA1400_700_PN
 
   
Copyright © 2023. Pacific Northwest Regional Economic Analysis Project (PNREAP). All Rights Reserved.

Please stay tuned...
while your request is processing:

Please wait while your request is being processed...
To offer the most comprehensive set of interactive options in support of your research, US-REAP calculates and crunches most of the data and generates the narrative and graphic analysis on demand in response to your request.
Your request will soon be available.
Just a few more seconds....Your request has been generated and is now loading the results.