District of Columbia vs. United States
Comparative Trends Analysis:
Per Capita Personal Income Growth and Change, 1958-2022
Introduction
District of Columbia vs. United States
District of Columbia:
2022 PCI = $95,970
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.
District of Columbia Per Capita Personal Income, 1959-2022
Current vs. Constant Dollars
District of Columbia Per Capita Personal Income, 1959-2022
Current vs. Constant Dollars
Figure 1.
Figure 1 depicts District of Columbia'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 District of Columbia over time.
When measured in current dollars, District of Columbia's per capita personal income increased 2,990.19%, from $3,106 in 1959 to $95,970 in 2022. When measured in constant 2017 dollars to adjust for inflation, it advanced 307.17%, from $20,311 in 1959 to $82,702 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 portrays District of Columbia'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.
District of Columbia's overall real per capita personal income growth was 311.56% over 1958-2022 outpaced 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 depicts the trends for per capita personal income relative to the national average by tracing District of Columbia per capita personal income as a percent of the national average over 1958-2022.
In 1958, District of Columbia's per capita personal income amounted to 140.17% of the national average; in 2022, it approximated 146.59%.
District of Columbia Real Per Capita Personal Income:
Annual Percent Change, 1959-2022
District of Columbia Real Per Capita Personal Income:
Annual Percent Change, 1959-2022
Figure 4.
Figure 4 displays the short-run pattern of District of Columbia'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, District of Columbia's real per capita personal income grew at an annual rate of 2.27% over 1959-2022. The independent city recorded its highest growth in 1971 (7.42%) and posted its lowest growth in 2022 (-7.54%). In 2022, District of Columbia's real per capita personal income declined by -7.54%
District of Columbia Real Per Capita Personal Income:
Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1959-2022
District of Columbia Real Per Capita Personal Income:
Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1959-2022
Figure 5.
Over the past six decades some independent cities have experienced extreme swings in growth, and often such swings have tended to coincide with the decades themselves. Figure 5 again depicts the annual percent change in District of Columbia'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, District of Columbia's annual real per capita personal income growth rate averaged 2.61%. It averaged 2.91% in the 1970s, 2.03% during the 1980s, 2.68% throughout the 1990s, 2.08% during the 2000s, 1.84% during the 2010s, 0.97% 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 District of Columbia noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for the nation.
Relative to nationwide real per capita personal income growth trends, District of Columbia posted below the nation during the 1960s (2.61% vs. 3.49%), recorded above the nation over the 1970s (2.91% vs. 2.37%), fell below the nation during the 1980s (2.03% vs. 2.19%), outperformed the nation during the 1990s (2.68% vs. 2.01%), exceeded the nation over the 2000s (2.08% vs. 1.10%), recorded underneath the nation during the 2010s (1.84% vs. 1.97%), and lagged the nation over 2020-2022 (0.97% vs. 1.78%).
   
 
Real* Per Capita Personal Income Growth:
Average Annual Percent Change
 
 
 
2.27
2.61
2.91
2.03
2.68
2.08
1.84
0.97
-7.54
 
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.

   
 
District of Columbia:
Per Capita Personal Income, 1958-2022
 
1958
 
3,027
0.151
20,095
100.0
N
140.17
1959
 
3,106
0.153
20,311
101.1
1.08
137.42
1960
 
3,125
0.155
20,107
100.1
-1.01
134.63
1961
 
3,236
0.157
20,607
102.6
2.49
135.78
1962
 
3,438
0.159
21,642
107.7
5.02
137.62
1963
 
3,605
0.161
22,423
111.6
3.61
139.26
1964
 
3,827
0.163
23,468
116.8
4.66
139.93
1965
 
4,129
0.165
24,957
124.2
6.35
141.52
1966
 
4,344
0.170
25,612
127.5
2.62
138.61
1967
 
4,655
0.174
26,769
133.2
4.52
139.88
1968
 
4,968
0.181
27,496
136.8
2.72
137.37
1969
 
4,939
0.189
26,156
130.2
-4.88
125.65
1970
 
5,528
0.198
27,969
139.2
6.93
131.69
1971
 
6,191
0.206
30,045
149.5
7.42
138.47
1972
 
6,781
0.213
31,823
158.4
5.92
139.62
1973
 
7,246
0.225
32,268
160.6
1.40
135.11
1974
 
8,004
0.248
32,282
160.7
0.04
137.16
1975
 
8,834
0.269
32,888
163.7
1.88
139.69
1976
 
9,548
0.283
33,698
167.7
2.46
138.87
1977
 
10,469
0.302
34,694
172.7
2.95
139.30
1978
 
11,349
0.323
35,163
175.0
1.35
135.82
1979
 
12,204
0.351
34,728
172.8
-1.24
132.19
1980
 
13,234
0.389
33,996
169.2
-2.11
129.95
1981
 
14,248
0.424
33,591
167.2
-1.19
126.18
1982
 
15,253
0.448
34,068
169.5
1.42
127.21
1983
 
16,108
0.467
34,510
171.7
1.30
126.83
1984
 
17,523
0.484
36,176
180.0
4.83
126.16
1985
 
18,539
0.501
36,984
184.0
2.23
125.72
1986
 
19,397
0.512
37,872
188.5
2.40
125.29
1987
 
20,434
0.528
38,700
192.6
2.19
125.92
1988
 
22,666
0.549
41,312
205.6
6.75
129.95
1989
 
24,243
0.573
42,337
210.7
2.48
129.93
1990
 
26,117
0.598
43,692
217.4
3.20
133.12
1991
 
27,527
0.618
44,561
221.8
1.99
137.29
1992
 
29,036
0.634
45,783
227.8
2.74
137.76
1993
 
30,311
0.650
46,632
232.1
1.85
139.60
1994
 
31,325
0.664
47,207
234.9
1.23
138.90
1995
 
32,021
0.678
47,261
235.2
0.12
135.81
1996
 
33,799
0.692
48,841
243.1
3.34
136.70
1997
 
35,657
0.704
50,643
252.0
3.69
137.54
1998
 
38,064
0.710
53,636
266.9
5.91
138.45
1999
 
39,679
0.720
55,108
274.2
2.75
138.77
2000
 
43,401
0.738
58,792
292.6
6.68
142.06
2001
 
44,809
0.753
59,506
296.1
1.21
142.04
2002
 
45,124
0.763
59,148
294.3
-0.60
141.90
2003
 
45,978
0.779
59,026
293.7
-0.21
140.78
2004
 
49,986
0.798
62,618
311.6
6.08
146.23
2005
 
52,686
0.821
64,152
319.3
2.45
147.71
2006
 
55,384
0.844
65,590
326.4
2.24
146.35
2007
 
59,358
0.866
68,538
341.1
4.49
149.94
2008
 
60,609
0.892
67,970
338.2
-0.83
148.36
2009
 
60,011
0.889
67,488
335.8
-0.71
152.67
2010
 
63,182
0.905
69,804
347.4
3.43
155.79
2011
 
66,950
0.928
72,141
359.0
3.35
156.98
2012
 
67,470
0.945
71,371
355.2
-1.07
152.52
2013
 
67,024
0.958
69,976
348.2
-1.95
150.95
2014
 
70,466
0.971
72,555
361.1
3.69
152.24
2015
 
74,728
0.973
76,803
382.2
5.86
155.49
2016
 
77,453
0.983
78,806
392.2
2.61
158.16
2017
 
79,535
1.000
79,535
395.8
0.92
155.94
2018
 
82,254
1.020
80,604
401.1
1.34
154.29
2019
 
83,636
1.035
80,798
402.1
0.24
150.57
2020
 
89,703
1.046
85,729
426.6
6.10
151.64
2021
 
97,498
1.090
89,447
445.1
4.34
151.32
2022
 
95,970
1.160
82,702
411.6
-7.54
146.59
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.

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