How personal income has changed in Chatham County, North Carolina

The start of the 2020s saw dramatic movement in Americans' personal incomes—and a positive one at that for those in the middle- and lower-income brackets.

Stimulus checks and pandemic-era welfare programs added thousands to households' bottom lines through tax credits for things like child care. A cultural revolution in the workforce, referred to as the Great Resignation, led to roughly 1 in 3 workers changing jobs in pursuit of better benefits, more fulfillment, and greater compensation.

But by 2022, inflation reached historic highs, peaking at around 9% and threatening to wipe out the newfound purchasing power attained by the working class.

Personal income rose at a much slower rate, on average, in 2022 than it did in 2021. For Americans living and working in big metropolitan areas, individuals' income grew about 1.7% over the year, compared with the 8.9% growth seen in 2021. In nonmetropolitan and rural areas, Americans saw personal income grow slightly less at 1.2% in 2022, compared to 8.9% the year before.

Stacker analyzed Bureau of Economic Analysis data to see how personal income has changed in Chatham County and how it compares to state and national levels. Income can include more than salaries and hourly wages. Passive income earned by investments like stock holdings or a 401(k), as well as commissions and bonuses, are all considered income.

Personal income in Chatham County was $79,769 per capita in 2022, BEA data shows. That was up 3.9% from 2021.

Chatham County had the #1 highest income per capita out of 100 counties in the state included in the data. Chatham County's typical personal income level was $21,660 above that of the state and $14,299 above that of the country.

This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten, writing by Dom DiFurio, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 3,101 counties.