The gap with the national figure was wider when compared with a 5.2 percent national gain found in a separate survey released by the Census Bureau on Tuesday that measures income by calendar year instead of over rolling 12-month periods.
“If the numbers are for real, it suggests that the economy really is in a catch-up position,” said James Hughes, dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. “One year does not a trend make. But when your rankings are so low, you have to wonder, are we are in deep trouble?”