Mainers' personal income jumped by 41 percent in the April-to-June quarter, according to the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis. The two main reasons: federal stimulus spending and state unemployment benefits. As the economy was locked down amid the pandemic, net earnings fell nearly 23%, but government payments rose 65% in the same period.
The third major component of personal income is interest, dividend and rent. In Maine, that category was down 7.5% during the quarter.
While Congress pumped trillions of dollars in pandemic relief into the economy during the April-to-June quarter, the Senate has yet to act on an additional aid package that the House passed in May.
