What are the 10 poorest states?

The 10 poorest U.S. states, based on recent data for low median household income and high poverty rates, consistently include Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico, West Virginia, Kentucky, Arkansas, Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and South Carolina, though their exact ranking can vary slightly by source and year, with Mississippi often being the poorest overall.

What is the top 10 poorest state?

The top 10 poorest U.S. states, based on recent poverty rates and low median incomes, consistently include Mississippi, Louisiana, West Virginia, New Mexico, Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Tennessee, with some variations depending on the specific data year, but these states generally feature high percentages of residents below the poverty line and lower median household earnings. Mississippi, Louisiana, and New Mexico frequently top the list due to significant economic challenges like low wages, lack of opportunity, and disparities in education, while states like West Virginia and Kentucky struggle with the decline of traditional industries.
 

What is the richest state vs. poorest state?

The states with the highest median household income are Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. The states with the lowest median household income are Mississippi, West Virginia, and Arkansas.

What are the 10 richest states?

The top 10 richest U.S. states vary slightly by metric (income, GDP, wealth), but consistently feature Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, California, New Hampshire, Utah, Colorado, Washington, Connecticut, and Hawaii, often led by Massachusetts and Maryland for median household income, and California/New York for overall economic size (GDP).
 

What state in the U.S. has the lowest income?

The lowest income states in the U.S., based on recent median household income data, consistently include Mississippi, West Virginia, Louisiana, and Arkansas, with Mississippi often having the absolute lowest income and highest poverty rate, followed by states like Kentucky, Alabama, and New Mexico, reflecting ongoing economic challenges and lower opportunities in the South and Appalachia.
 

Top 10 States with Highest Poverty In America [Poorest States 2023]

Which state is the richest state?

Massachusetts is often cited as the richest U.S. state by median household income, driven by its educated workforce and strong tech/finance sectors, though California leads in total economic size (GDP) and has the most billionaires, while metrics like GDP per capita might place states like New York or Connecticut at the top, depending on the source and year.
 

What is the most expensive state to live in?

Hawaii is consistently ranked as the most expensive U.S. state to live in, primarily due to its remote island location, which dramatically increases costs for imported groceries, utilities, and housing, with costs often double the national average; California, Massachusetts, and New York are also among the priciest due to high housing and general living expenses. 

Which U.S. state is growing the fastest?

Florida and Texas consistently rank as the fastest-growing states in the U.S. by population, especially in recent years (2023-2024), driven by significant net migration and immigration, though Utah and Idaho often lead in percentage growth over longer periods, fueled by natural increases and migration. Recent data highlights Florida's top spot in overall numeric growth and high percentage gains, with Texas close behind, while Utah remains a leader in long-term percentage growth.
 

What state has the most billionaires?

California consistently has the most billionaires, followed by New York and Florida, with these three states often housing nearly half of all U.S. billionaires, according to recent reports from Forbes and Visual Capitalist. Texas also ranks high in total numbers, while states like Wyoming can have more billionaires per capita due to smaller populations.
 

What state has no billionaires?

As of 2024, there are 756 billionaires living in 43 of the 50 US states or Washington, D.C. The only states with no billionaire residents are Alaska, Delaware, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, and West Virginia.

Which city is the poorest in the USA?

There isn't one single "poorest city" as it depends on the metric (median income, poverty rate, population size), but Detroit, Michigan, consistently ranks high on lists for overall poverty and low income, while cities like Houston, Texas recently topped the list for poverty among the largest U.S. cities, and Gainesville, Florida appeared as poorest in some smaller city data, with other common contenders including Cleveland, Dayton, and Flint, often linked to deindustrialization.
 

What state has the strongest economy?

California generally has the best economy by sheer size (largest GDP), but states like Massachusetts, Washington, or Utah often rank highest in economic strength, growth, innovation, or business environment when considering factors beyond total output, with Texas, New York, and Florida also consistently leading overall economic performance. 

Which state is very poor in the USA?

Mississippi, New Mexico, West Virginia, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Arkansas consistently rank among the poorest U.S. states, often cited due to high poverty rates, low median incomes, and economic challenges, though California also faces high poverty according to some measures. These states often struggle with factors like lower economic opportunity, impacting overall quality of life despite varying costs of living.
 

Where do poor people live in the USA?

Those with the most severe poverty are found in poor areas of the Southeast, including the Mississippi Delta and Appalachia, as well as on Native American lands. Pockets of high poverty are increasingly found in other regions, such as nonmetro areas of the Southwest and northern sections of the Midwest.

What is the #1 overpopulated state?

The U.S. state with the largest population is California, which has some 39,000,000 residents.

Which states are the cheapest to live in?

The cheapest states to live in consistently include Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, and West Virginia, often topping affordability lists due to low housing costs, groceries, and overall expenses, though rankings vary slightly by source. Other affordable contenders are Iowa, Missouri, Tennessee, Indiana, Georgia, and Ohio, frequently appearing in the top affordable states due to their below-average cost of living indexes and affordable housing.
 

What are the safest states to live in?

The safest states to live in consistently rank high for low crime (violent and property) and strong emergency preparedness, with Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Utah frequently appearing at the top of lists from sources like WalletHub and U.S. News, alongside others like Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Hawaii. These states often excel in financial security, workplace safety, and community well-being, making them desirable for residents seeking overall security. 

What is the #1 best state to live in?

There's no single "best" state, as it depends on priorities, but recent 2025 rankings by WalletHub and U.S. News & World Report often place Massachusetts, Utah, and Idaho at the top for overall quality, balancing economy, education, healthcare, and environment, though some sources favor New Hampshire, Minnesota, or even Vermont for quality of life. 

What states have no state income tax?

As of 2025, there are nine states that don't collect any state income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming.

What is the #1 most expensive city in the US?

The income you need to live comfortably in the 10 most expensive U.S. cities—it's over $200,000 in No. 1

• San Diego. ...
• Los Angeles. ...
• New York City. ...
• Long Beach, California. ...
• Seattle, Washington. ...
• Boston. ...
• Oakland, California. Average single-family home value: $797,148. ...
• Washington, D.C. Average single-family home value: $749,377.

What state has no minimum wage?

Five U.S. states have no state-specific minimum wage law, meaning they default to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour for covered workers: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee. While other states have very low minimums (like Georgia and Wyoming's $5.15 for some workers), these five states simply do not have their own wage floor, so the $7.25 federal rate applies unless a local ordinance sets a higher wage. 

Who gets $20 an hour in California?

Starting April 1, 2024, all “fast food restaurant employees” who are covered by the new law must be paid at least $20.00 per hour. Does an employer covered by the new law have to post a new minimum wage or Industrial Welfare Commissioner Order? Yes.