Californians' Income Dips During Great Recession

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- In another sign of the recession's toll, Californians' median income fell between 2008 and 2009.

The Franchise Tax Board on Thursday reported a statewide 5.1 percent decline in income reported on personal tax returns, to $34,079. The median income on joint returns fell 5.7 percent, to $65,025.

Four San Francisco Bay-area counties remained the richest, despite declines.

Median income for joint returns was $108,465 in Marin County, down 8.6 percent from the previous year. That was followed by San Mateo County, with a joint median return of $95,176, Santa Clara County at $94,209 and Contra Costa County at $85,942.

A quarter of all returns were filed in Los Angeles County, where the median joint income dipped slightly to $56,438.

The biggest increase was 7.5 percent in sparsely populated Alpine County.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)