INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A new Ball State University study has found that Indiana's average personal income lags more than a decade behind the rest of the nation.

Ball State researchers looked at Indiana's 2010 wages and after adjusting for inflation they assigned each county the year in which its standard of living equaled that of the nation as a whole.

The Indianapolis Star reports that the study found that Indiana's average per capita income is equal to the 1996 national level.

The director of Ball State's Center for Business and Economic Research, Michael Hicks, says the findings are important because income levels are a measure of standard of living.

He says a higher standard of living means people can spend more time with their kids and can afford better health care.