Personal spending in Maine rose last year at the fastest rate in New England. It pushed total personal spending in Maine to just over $60-billion.
The federal Bureau of Economic Analysis says spending in Maine rose a full 5 percent in 2018 over 2017. That was the fastest spending growth in New England. New Hampshire spending grew 4.7 percent; Massachusetts spending grew at the slowest rate, just 4 percent.
The figures show the biggest contributor to Mainers' increased spending was the money spent on health care. In no areas did spending go down. he second-biggest contributor was spending on food services and accommodations. The third biggest contributor was a catch-all category of "other services."
