The newest survey data from the United States Census has just been released and it paints a stark picture of poverty in America.
We’ve considered the data and assembled this ranking of all 50 states by poverty rate. The poverty percentage displayed is a two-year average resulting from data collected in 2015 and 2016 and reflects the portion of each state’s population that is living below the poverty threshold.
Flickr/Steven Martin
United States Census Bureau
This list is organized from the state with the highest poverty rate (Mississippi) to the state with the lowest poverty rate (New Hampshire).
Flickr/Steven Martin
United States Census Bureau
Mississippi: 20.1%
Louisiana: 19.4%
New Mexico: 18.7%
Kentucky 17.4%
Georgia: 16.8%
Arizona: 16.6%
(Tie) Alabama: 16.3%
(Tie) West Virginia: 16.3%
Arkansas: 16.1%
Tennessee: 14.8%
Florida: 14.6%
(Tie) Oklahoma: 14.4%
(Tie) North Carolina: 14.4%
Texas: 14.3%
(Tie) South Dakota: 14.2%
(Tie) South Carolina: 14.2%
California: 13.9%
Ohio: 13.6%
New York: 13.0%
Indiana: 12.7%
Delaware: 11.3%
Kansas 12.7%
Maine: 12.5%
Michigan: 11.9%
(Tie) Montana: 11.8%
(Tie) Oregon: 11.8%
(Tie) Idaho: 11.7%
(Tie) Pennsylvania: 11.7%
Rhode Island: 11.6%
(Tie) Illinois:11.5%
(Tie) Nevada: 11.5%
Missouri: 11.4%
Washington: 11.2%
(Tie) Virginia: 11.1%
(Tie) Wisconsin: 11.1%
(Tie) North Dakota: 10.9%
(Tie) Alaska: 10.9%
Massachusetts: 10.6%
(Tie) New Jersey: 10.3%
(Tie) Wyoming: 10.3%
Vermont: 10.2%
(Tie) Iowa: 10.1%
(Tie) Hawaii: 10.1%
Nebraska: 9.9%
Connecticut: 9.5%
Colorado: 9.2%
Utah: 8.9%
Maryland: 8.4%
Minnesota: 8.3%
New Hampshire: 6.8%
The District of Columbia was also considered in the report and has a 16.5 percent poverty rate. While this data may be surprising to some, many states experienced a reduction in poverty between 2014 and 2016. You can read more about the Census methodology here.
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