Negative economic news may lurk around most corners, but according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, personal income has once again increased in the state—for the fifth consecutive quarter (via the Colorado Springs Business Journal). Overall, Colorado is in the middle of the pack among the states (number 25) for growth in personal income; just two states showed negative growth: New York and Connecticut. Coloradans will be needing that extra cash in certain parts of the high country, as lift tickets have hit their highest prices of the season: $99 for the Aspen Skiing Company, and more than $100 in Vail and Beaver Creek, writes The Aspen Times.

But boosted prices aren’t likely to keep visitors away from the Rocky Mountains, where travel is expected to increase by 2.4 percent over last year, says AAA Colorado’s Wave Dreher, who goes out on a limb by adding, “The economy is improving” (via KUNC). And of those travelers, most will likely depend on automobiles to get them there. At $2.74 for a gallon of regular gasoline, Colorado boasts the lowest fuel price in the nation; the national average is $2.98, notes The Associated Press.