Per capita personal income (PCPI) is total income divided by population.

Total income is the sum of income from all sources (government and non-government). It consists of wages and salaries, other labor income, proprietors’ income, rental income of persons, personal dividend income, personal interest income, and transfer payments less personal contributions for social insurance.

Source: Regional Economic Measurement Division of the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)

Frequently Asked Questions

• How is per capita personal income used?
  PCPI is often used as an indicator of the quality of consumer markets and of the economic well-being of the residents of an area.
• What are transfer payments?
  Transfer payments are income for which no current service has been performed. It consists of payments to individuals and nonprofit institutions by federal, state, and local governments and by businesses. Examples include retirement and disability insurance benefits, medical benefits (mainly Medicare and Medicaid), income maintenance benefits, unemployment insurance compensation and other government payments.