Personal income still falling in Idaho

Personal income in Idaho fell during the first three months of this year. It was the third straight quarter in which total wages, business owner profits and investment earnings declined. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis estimated total personal income for the first quarter at $48.3 billion on an annualized basis, down from $48.7 billion in the final three months of 2008. While total personal income was up 3 percent last year overall, it peaked during the spring of 2008 and has been sliding since. The first quarter report was the fourth time since World War II that Idaho’s personal income has fallen for three straight quarters.