[ No headline ]

Wage and salary levels continued to climb in the United States last month - although not as much as the month before - the Commerce Department reported Monday.

Personal income was up $4.2 billion in October, far below the $12.3 billion gain posted in September.

That translates into an average annual income of $11,125 for each man, woman, and child.

Manufacturing payrolls were up $1.2 billion in October, compared with a decline of $1.1 billion in September. Payrolls in service industries were up $1. 2 billion in October; they had risen $5.8 billion in September. Farmers' income increased $400 million; it rose $800 million in September.

Personal income climbed to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $3.09 trillion in October. But personal spending on consumer goods declined $1.7 billion during the month.