While there are bright spots to curb brain drain in the Central Susquehanna Valley, regional workers as a whole lag behind the rest of the state in per capita income.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, the average commonwealth working stiff brings home $34,937 per year. But employees in Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties are earning an average of $28,855, or almost 18 percent less.

However you stack it up, according to Bucknell University economics professor Michael Moohr, that's bad news. With gasoline prices soaring, groceries bills climbing and less disposable income in American pockets, everyone is feeling the squeeze.

Valley residents are especially pinched, Moohr said.

Dave Hall, president of the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce, has a slightly different take.

"The cost of living in our area has certainly gone up lately," Hall said, "but it's still relatively low compared to many sections of the country."

People's purchasing power everywhere is declining, Moohr said.

"And since people in our four-county area are starting at a lower income base, the burden of inflation for them is much greater," Moohr said.

In other words, if John Doe in New York City devotes 20 percent of his income to necessities and they double in price, that hurts. But if Jane Doe in the Valley already devotes 30 percent of her paycheck to basics and inflation doubles costs, the gap in purchasing power has been widened even further.

And while the economy may improve, Moohr said he doesn't believe local economics will change anytime soon.

There are some bright spots to curb the brain drain in the Valley, Moohr said. Hospitals -- like Shamokin, Geisinger, Sunbury and Evangelical -- recruit and employ talented doctors and researchers, and other local companies require highly skilled workers.

But in the end, Moohr said, it would be naive to think the Valley could compete with urban job markets.

People may make less here, Hall said, but they're paying less to live. And they're staying here for the area's high quality of life.

"The measuring stick many years ago may have just been jobs, but the measuring stick today is whether or not you have the types of communities where people want to live," Hall said.

While the Valley may not be rich in attracting 22-year-old college graduates, families are returning here to live, Hall said.