America's Richest and Poorest States

[Barefootsies]

Surprised on the richest, not so much on the poorest.

1. Maryland
> Median household income: $71,122
> Population: 5,884,563 (19th highest)
> Unemployment rate: 6.8% (17th lowest)
> Pct. below poverty line: 10.3% (3rd lowest)

Maryland was the only state in the country with a median household income to exceed $70,000 in both 2011 and 2012. Also, nearly 11% of households in Maryland earned $200,000 or more last year, the third-highest percentage in the nation and close to double the national rate of 5.9%. People in Maryland were more likely to be employed and to hold good jobs. Just 6.8% of the workforce was unemployed in 2012, compared to 8.1% nationwide. Conversely, 15.5% of the workforce, the highest percentage in the nation, were employed in professional, scientific and management occupations, which are generally high skill and high pay.

1. Mississippi
> Median household income: $37,095
> Population: 2,984,926 (20th lowest)
> Unemployment rate: 9.2% (6th highest)
> Pct. below poverty line: 24.2% (the highest)

In Mississippi, about one in five households depended on food stamps last year, second only to Oregon. The state?s poverty rate was 24.2%, the highest in the nation by more than three percentage points. Like many of America?s poorest states, the median household income in Mississippi has declined considerably since 2008, when it was just over $40,000. Fewer households earned over $200,000 last year, proportionally, than any other state except West Virginia. In addition to poverty, income inequality was also extremely severe in Mississippi, ranking behind only New York and Connecticut.

FULL STORY

[Minte]

That's where most of the federal level politicians and lobbyists live..

The rest of the states on the richest don't surprise me. They are also the most expensive places to live. How much is a gallon of anything in Hawaii?

[Barefootsies]

Originally Posted by Minte

The rest of the states on the richest don't surprise me. They are also the most expensive places to live.

In that regard, I would have thought to see New York or California there.

[Why]

Originally Posted by Barefootsies

In that regard, I would have thought to see New York or California there.

only parts of CA are expensive, others are cheap as dirt.

[mikesouth]

Alaska and Hawaii have MASSIVELY higher costs of living so apparently that wasnt as much of a factor as it should have been