In fact, between 2007 and 2008, Bell County per capita income rose 13 percent.
The new figures are from the American Community Survey for 2008.
They show that for families, the income gap here, compared to Texas and the United States, is significant.
Nationwide, though, median household income actually dropped in 2008 from 2007, The reported last week.
In Bell County, the pay gap between men and women who work full-time is far narrower than at the state and national levels. Men are paid 18 percent more here. In Texas and the country, the gap is 28 percent.
Analysts suggest that high wages paid in Texas' large metro areas skew the statewide figures. For example, in Plano near Dallas the median per capita income is more than $80,000, the highest among the nation's larger cities.
Note: The "mean" is the arithmetic average. You find the mean by adding up a series of numbers and dividing by how many numbers there are. The "median" is the number in the middle. To find the median, put the numbers in order from lowest to highest. The number in the middle is the median. "Per capita" means "per person."
