Despite a long economic recovery that has driven unemployment rates to new lows, many Massachusetts residents have not achieved the income level they enjoyed prior to the recession of the early ’90s. According to an analysis of census data by Northeastern University’s Center for Labor Market Studies for MassINC’s American Dream Project, median household income, adjusted for inflation, was actually $4,700 lower in 1998-99 than it was in 1989. Nationally, median household income was 3.7 percent higher at the end of that decade, but in the Bay State, real income was down nearly 10 percent–a growth rate lower than every other state but Connecticut. As a result, Massachusetts has dropped from fourth in the nation in household income to 15th.

Median Household Income, 1989
(1999 Dollars)
Rank State Income
1. Connecticut $56,860
2. New Jersey $52,560
3. New Hampshire $50,426
4. Massachusetts $48,483
5. Maryland $48,389
6. Alaska $48,376
7. Hawaii $47,071
8. Virginia $45,839
9. California $44,349
10. Delaware $43,085
11. Washington $42,941
12. New York $42,316
13. Illinois $42,053
14. Vermont $42,046
15. Michigan $41,348
16. Utah $41,270
17. Minnesota $40,555
18. Rhode Island $40,473
19. Wyoming $39,663
20. Nevada $39,420
21. Wisconsin $39,128
22. Ohio $38,991
23. Pennsylvania $38,546
24. Arizona $38,361
25. Oregon $38,330
26. Maine $37,916
27. Georgia $37,004
28. Kansas $36,090
29. Colorado $36,015
30. Missouri $35,600
31. North Carolina $35,478
32. Nebraska $35,361
33. Iowa $35,288
34. Florida $35,046
35. Indiana $34,795
36. Texas $34,779
37. North Dakota $33,896
38. Idaho $33,124
39. South Dakota $32,390
40. South Carolina $31,974
41. Montana $31,831
42. Oklahoma $31,798
43. Kentucky $31,282
44. Louisiana $30,715
45. Tennessee $30,379
46. New Mexico $30,367
47. West Virginia $29,124
48. Arkansas $28,796
49. Alabama $28,596
50. Mississippi $26,759
US Average $38,837

Median Household Income, 1998-99
(1999 Dollars)
Rank State Income
1. Maryland $51,716
2. Alaska $51,661
3. New Jersey $50,428
4. Connecticut $49,167
5. Minnesota $48,112
6. Colorado $47,987
7. Washington $47,054
8. New Hampshire $46,059
9. Utah $45,686
10. Illinois $45,262
11. Virginia $45,031
12. Delaware $44,607
13. Michigan $44,492
14. Wisconsin $44,033
15. Massachusetts $43,736
16. Hawaii $43,051
17. California $42,791
18. Rhode Island $42,261
19. Missouri $41,278
20. Nevada $41,157
21. Vermont $40,936
22. Indiana $40,769
23. Oregon $40,322
24. Ohio $39,701
25. Iowa $39,538
26. Georgia $39,476
27. New York $39,139
28. Pennsylvania $38,936
29. Nebraska $38,002
30. Texas $37,776
31. Maine $37,680
32. Arizona $37,514
33. Kansas $37,499
34. North Carolina $36,985
35. Wyoming $36,712
36. Idaho $36,698
37. Alabama $36,640
38. Florida $35,778
39. Tennessee $35,690
40. Kentucky $35,477
41. South Carolina $35,283
42. South Dakota $34,746
43. Oklahoma $33,696
44. Louisiana $32,566
45. New Mexico $32,358
46. North Dakota $31,925
47. Montana $31,759
48. Mississippi $31,152
49. Arkansas $29,019
50. West Virginia $28,364
US Average $40,280

 

Source: Center for Labor Market Studies Northeastern University

Growth Rate of Median Household
Income
(1999 Dollars)
Rank State Income
1. Colorado 33.2
2. Alabama 28.1
3. Minnesota 18.6
4. Tennessee 17.5
5. Indiana 17.2
6. Mississippi 16.4
7. Missouri 15.9
8. Kentucky 13.4
9. Wisconsin 12.5
10. Iowa 12.0
11. Idaho 10.8
12. Utah 10.7
13. South Carolina 10.3
14. Washington 9.6
15. Texas 8.6
16. Illinois 7.6
17. Michigan 7.6
18. Nebraska 7.5
19. South Dakota 7.3
20. Maryland 6.9
21. Alaska 6.8
22. Georgia 6.7
23. New Mexico 6.6
24. Louisiana 6.0
25. Oklahoma 6.0
26. Oregon 5.2
27. Rhode Island 4.4
28. Nevada 4.4
29. North Carolina 4.2
30. Kansas 3.9
31. Delaware 3.5
32. Florida 2.1
33. Ohio 1.8
34. Pennsylvania 1.0
35. Arkansas 0.8
36. Montana -0.2
37. Maine -0.6
38. Virginia -1.8
39. Arizona -2.2
40. West Virginia -2.6
41. Vermont -2.6
42. California -3.5
43. New Jersey -4.1
44. North Dakota -5.8
45. Wyoming -7.4
46. New York -7.5
47. Hawaii -8.5
48. New Hampshire -8.7
49. Massachusetts -9.8
50. Connecticut -13.5
United States 3.7