Most of America’s metropolitan areas saw personal incomes rise last year, with the biggest increases coming in towns where the military thrives and oil and other mining interests dominate the private sector, according to a new government report.
But the gains in those towns may be only temporary, since the military is facing substantial cuts and the mining industry is grappling with new regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis released a report this week that found that personal incomes increased in 362 of 366 metropolitan statistical areas in 2010, rising overall by 2.9 percent after falling 1.9 percent the previous year.