Apr 24

Written by:
4/24/2011 10:15 PM 

by Jeff Mathews, The Town Talk, Alexandria, Louisiana, April 24, 2011 -- In another indication that the recession came slow to the area, a new report released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis shows per capital personal income went up in nearly every Central Louisiana parish in 2009.  Eleven of the 13 Cenla parishes saw growth in PCPI over 2008, at a time when national PCPI went down 2.6 percent.

Twelve of the 13 parishes, though, were still below the state average in PCPI, with several ranking near the bottom.  Vernon ranked seventh in the state at $42,079.  Rapides was at $37,121, ranking just below the state average of $37,623.

Catahoula saw the biggest jump in the state from 2008 to 2009 -- a 10.9 percent increase.  Avoyelles was among the biggest ascenders, going up 4.1 percent.  Other area parishes seeing growth were Winn, 3.2 percent; Evangeline, 2.1; Natchitoches, 2.1; Grant, 1.9; Concordia, 1.8; Sabine, 1.5; Allen, 1.0; and LaSalle, 1.0.  Rapides Parish went up fractionally.

The only Cenla parishes to see a decline in PCPI in 2009 were Vernon (down 1.5 percent) and Beauregard (down 0.8 percent).The state PCPI fell 1.3 percent in 2009, with southern parishes St. Bernard (down 17.3 percent), Cameron (down 11.2) and Orleans (down 8.4) seeing the biggest declines.