Breece Quoted in Press Herald Article on Aroostook County’s Personal Income Increase
James Breece, an economics professor at the University of Maine, spoke with the Portland Press Herald for the article, “A surprise: Aroostook County has sharpest rise in personal income.” The article states Aroostook County’s personal income grew by 4.4 percent in 2013; above the national average for the year of 1.3 percent. In Piscataquis County, which has been Maine’s poorest county for several years, personal income rose by 4.2 percent, ranking second in the state, according to newly released Bureau of Economic Analysis figures. Breece said the state’s northern region has had solid, but not amazing, economic growth since the 2008–09 recession. He said the figures likely reflect the exodus of people from the area, adding Aroostook County’s population dropped by more than 1 percent last year and many people who left were likely looking for better job opportunities and would have negatively affected the county’s average income.