Washington incomes grew twice as fast as the national average this year

Personal income in Washington state is growing faster than anywhere else in the country.

Washingtonians' income increased by 7.4 percent in the first financial quarter of 2018, blowing past the national average of 4.3 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

It's the second time in recent history that we’ve won this count. The other time was the third quarter of 2017.

Figures from the Washington State Department of Revenue and the Internal Revenue Service show some of the reasons why Washington beats the rest of the country. 

Nearly 31,000 wealthy taxpayers here make more than $500,000. Among those, 36 people make more than $50 million.

However, many more of us make way less: More than 440,000 people in the state make less than $10,000.