Show Still Below Average The U. U S. S Department of Commerce recently released estimates on 1950 state income payments They showed total income for Utah last year was compared with in 1940 Per capita income payments reached a new time all high of 1271 more than two and a half times as much muchas as in 1940 In an analysis of these income payment payment payment pay pay- ment figures for the 11 western states Robert R R. R Dockson economist for the western home office of the Prudential Insurance Company notes that the Utah gain in total income which amounted to per cent exceeded the national average of per cent and was higher than all other western states except New Mexico 1 Arizona Oregon and Wash Wash- ington Also placing Utah in a favorable light according to Mr 11 Dockson's analysis is the fact that payments from trade and service industries showed an increase higher than the western average In addition Utah is one of the two most industrial of the intermountain states Colorado was slightly above Utah per per- and the only intermountain state in which manufacturing contributed more in income than agriculture Despite these favorable aspects it should be noted that Utah still ranks much too far down the list from the standpoint of income In the 11 western states only Arizona and New Mexico ranked below us in per pcr capita income Our average of 1271 compared with the national average per capita income of 1436 the western region average of and a peak western per capita income of in Nevada As a matter of fact we have lost ground on per capita income in the decade since 1940 In that year Utah ranked eighth among the Ii 11 western states in per capita income running ahead of Idaho as well as Arizona and New Mexico This last year Idaho nosed us out by some 16 a year on per capita income Speaking of the country as a whole one of the most encouraging things in inthe inthe inthe the report is that the increase in total income payments in the nation from 1946 to 1950 was 27 per cent compared to an increase of 23 per cent in the cost of living index indicating that not all of the gain in income was dissipated in inflationary price rises That's good as asfar asfar asfar far as it goes but well we'll keep our fingers crossed relative to the future |