Personal income in Maine grew by 0.8 percent during the first three months of the year, a rate below national average.

Maine's rate of personal-income growth was 34th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said today.

Nationally, personal income was up 1.1 percent in the first quarter, down from the 1.2 increase in the last three months of 2007.

Health care and social assistance contributed the most to Maine's personal income gain, accounting for 0.1 percentage points, the report said. The construction industry provided the biggest drag on personal income, knocking 0.07 percentage points off the total.