A census report released yesterday in the Northern Marianas shows that average incomes dropped by a third between 2000 and 2004.
The census, conducted in the last quarter of 2005, found that the CNMI per capita income plunged to $6,178 in 2004, from $9,151 in 2000.
That drop was mirrored by the Commonwealth's household income and family income with average family incomes dropping from $37,986 in 2000 to just $28,461 in 2004,
A downward trend was also observed in the labor force population with unemployment doubling to 8 percent in 2005, compared with 4 percent in 2000.
The estimated total population in the CNMI in October 2005 was 65,927, with 60,608 on Saipan, 2,829 on Tinian and 2,490 on Rota.
This represents a decrease of 4.7 percent from 69,221 in 2000.
