LINCOLN- Residents of some Midwestern and Mountain states gained the most income per capita during the past four years, a Stateline analysis shows, as competition for workers drove up wages in relatively affordable places to live. Stateline’s analysis offers a more complete understanding of how some states’ residents benefitted economically as policy decisions and Americans’ choices shuffled state-by-state outcomes.

Inflation took the biggest bite out of paychecks in the West and South, with consumer prices rising about 20% in those regions between mid-2019 and mid-2023, according to U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis figures. Inflation was a little lower in the Midwest, about 19%, and about 16% in the Northeast.

Inflation-adjusted per capita incomes in Utah have grown by about 8% since 2019. Incomes in Colorado, Maine, Montana and Nebraska also grew by roughly that much. Incomes in Arizona, Idaho and Missouri increased by about 7%. Many of these states experienced large income increases due to scenic or affordable areas that have attracted remote workers looking for a lower cost of living and proximity to recreation.

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