Per Capita Personal Income in Marion, Polk, and Yamhill Counties

July 15, 2024

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) recently released new estimates of per capita personal income (PCPI) by county. Personal income data is not among the most current economic indicators – the “new” county estimates are for 2022. Despite the time lag in producing personal income data, they are still valuable for evaluating a county’s economic health.

Personal income data includes wage and salary income, but it also includes other sources of income. One other source of income is transfer payments from the government. Transfer payments include social security income, food stamps, Medicare and Medicaid, welfare income, and student grants and loans received from the government. Personal income also includes interest, dividends, and capital gains that people receive. Farm income is another component captured in personal income data. 

In 2022, Polk County’s per capita personal income was $50,295, while Marion’s was $54,440 and Yamhill’s was $56,563. Per capita income in all three Mid-Valley counties lags behind Oregon ($62,303) and the nation ($65,470).

Over the short term, all three counties had a gain in PCPI from 2021 to 2022. Polk County’s PCPI grew 1.4% from 2021 to 2022, faster than Oregon (1.1%), but slower than the U.S. (1.6%). Yamhill County’s PCPI grew 1.1%, matching Oregon’s growth. Marion County’s PCPI grew 1.2%, just slightly faster than Oregon. The long-term trend in PCPI is captured by looking at the annual average percent change from 2001 to 2022. Over that period, Polk County (3.4%) tracked slower long-term income growth compared to the U.S. (3.7%) and Oregon (3.9%). Marion (4.0%) and Yamhill (4.0%) counties both have shown long-term growth similar to Oregon.

PCPI in Oregon and these local counties has trended below the U.S. level since the 1980s, with a larger gap for Marion, Polk, and Yamhill than for Oregon statewide. In 2022 Oregon’s PCPI was 95.2% of the U.S. PCPI. Yamhill County’s PCPI was 86.4% of the U.S. PCPI in 2022. Marion and Polk counties percentages in 2022 were 83.2% and 76.8%, respectively.