A new study from Pew on the performance of state economies since the Great Recession reports that 8 of the top 10 states for personal income growth are in the West.

North Dakota recorded the strongest annualized growth (3.3%) for personal income since the start of the recession in the fourth quarter of 2007. According to the report, the next-largest growth rates were: Utah (3%), Washington (2.9%), Colorado and Texas (both 2.7%), California and Idaho (both 2.6%), Oregon (2.5%), and Montana (2.4%).

Western states also fared well in the report's measurement of personal income growth in the first quarter of 2019, compared to a year earlier. While West Virginia (4.3%) recorded the fastest growth rate, Idaho (3.7%), Nevada (3.5%), Arizona (3.3%), Colorado (3.2%), Washington (3.1%), and North Dakota (3%) were right behind.

Personal income sums up a number of sources, including paychecks, Social Security benefits, and income from rent and other property. The report notes that “federal officials use state personal income to determine how to allocate support to states for certain programs, including funds for Medicaid”, while “state governments use personal income statistics to project tax revenue for budget planning, set spending limits, and estimate the need for public services." Read, download the report.

Expanding Rural Broadband: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) just announced it would give $4.1 million to the tribally owned internet provider of the Northern Arapaho to assist in connecting nearly 850 homes to broadband on the Wyoming reservation. Expanding broadband access to rural areas in the West has been a focus of Western Governors’ policy. WGA recently shared policy work on the issue with the House Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit for its hearing on “Building Opportunity in Rural America through Affordable, Reliable and High-Speed Broadband." Read the outreach.

Salt = Energy:  The Los Angeles Times reports that a “a giant mound of salt” about 100 miles south of Salt Lake City may well represent a "clean energy breakthrough.” According to the story, two companies are interested in "tapping the salt dome for compressed air energy storage, an old but rarely used technology that can store large amounts of power.” The electricity generated could be delivered from Utah to Southern California through an existing transmission line. Learn more.

Tourism Pays Off: The Colorado Tourism Office reports travelers spent a record $22.3 billion in the state last year, up 6.7% over the previous record in 2017. The report also notes that a record 86.2 million visited the Centennial State in 2018. The Arizona Office of Tourism also reported record-breaking results in 2018, with visitors spending $24.4 billion, generating more than $1 billion in revenue for the state. A record 45.4 million overnight visitors came to the state last year.

Smokey’s Style: Times, and fire suppression strategy, have changed since Smokey Bear debuted in 1939 as the fire-prevention symbol of the U.S. Forest Service. High Country News offers a visual guide to how those changes in wildfire strategy have helped Smokey evolve from "big-bellied to downright buff." Take a look.

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