COLDWATER, MI(WTVB) - Branch County’s per capita personal income rose 5.05% last year, but the county is one of the 19 poorest counties in the state. Data released Monday by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis showed the per capita incomeBranchCountyfor 2011 was $28,098. There was an increase in nearly everyMichigancounty last year with the state-wide average hike of 5.7%.

Personal income includes wages, rental income, dividends, interest and other sources.LuceCountyin the U.P. had the lowest at $24,492 whileOaklandCountywas the highest at $53,297.  Oakland Leelanau andMidlandCountieswere the only ones inMichiganthat exceeded the national average of $41,560, which represented a 4-and-a-half percent increase from 2010.