Want to earn more? Go Colorado military or mining.

Want to earn more?  Go into the military or mining in Colorado.  That strange conclusion would appear to follow from this extract of a report on personal income gains since the forth quarter of 2007: 

Of the 23 industries the Bureau of Economic Analysis tracks on a quarterly basis, mining had the strongest earnings growth nationally, at 5.4 percent. But because mining accounts for only about 1 million jobs in the United States, the industry contributed little to overall personal income growth.

In terms of earnings growth in Colorado, the mining industry was the third-largest contributor in the quarter, at 0.12 percentage points. The information industry was first, at 0.25 percentage points, followed by professional and technical services, at 0.14 percentage points.

Ranked by increase in earnings, mining was the second-largest contributor in Colorado, at 4.63 percentage points. The military was first, at 4.74 percentage points.

Having a son in the military (navy), I am happy to hear that they are doing well and better.  Indeed he is doing well from all external appearances: renting a nice house in Alexandria a mere ten minutes bus ride from the Pentagon.  True he has a masters degree from the Naval Postgraduate College in Monterey, CA, his wife is careful with money, the cars are paid for, and with a new baby they don’t go out much; so they should be comfortable.   But being in the military is, for me, reason enough for anybody to do better than anybody in mining—me included.  And I intend no disrespect to miners in Colorado or anywhere else.

That said it is, however, interesting to see that miners do well in Colorado.  You  can access the full report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, if you seek comparable figures for other states—or go to CostMine.