Top 10 Poorest U.S. States by Median Income

One should also consider that due to the South's geography, there is not many powerful rivers (within the interior) that can be used to power the factories or encourage maritime trade with the Caribbean, thus the South could have never grow urban centers like the North. Along with this, those cash crops effectively made the South rely on an agrarian economy in which the only sort of industrialization reaching it would be tools to increase farming output. Even after the Civil War during Reconstruction, although many textile factories did move down South, the region still lagged behind the more robust North, as the newly industrialized economy has to compete with an established dominating competitor. These are only a few factors in which why those states in the South lag behind in those income, as a lack of industrialization/reliance on an agrarian economy can not be a dominate force in an economy based on service/industry, in which the South is still playing catch-up to this day.

Literally the poorest of these is a state named after a river. Not a compelling argument.

@supermusic Perhaps you didn't read the argument. One giant river doesn't propel textile mills like the smaller rivers found everywhere in New England and the Northeast.

or vice versa

NOOOOOO was typing in west virginia!!!

90% overlap with Republican states. Since the GOAL of the Republican party is SQUALOR and a desperate, over the barrel workforce that can't make living WAGE DEMANDS. CHEAP LABOR = corporate PROFIT.

And you're talking about mainly the white voters, who make up a slim majority in many of these states. The South is a richer portrait than your assumption.

Most republicans in these states live quite well. Many democrats do too. The cost of living is just different than other urban areas and northern states. The poorest people in these states are actually democrats in the inner cities with no education or poor rural people, but most republican voters are gainfully employed or own businesses, and still want less govt interference in their lives/beliefs. There are beautiful homes and cities everywhere in these states.

Of course. Montana is widely known as the industrial capital of America, with some of the greatest technology available to mankind!

Most of these are Southern Republican States. No wonder.

At least he shows what Democrats really think of the poor. In liberal major cities around the country, crime is rampant and the poor live in horrible conditions. Yet the suburbs are usually Republican and prosperous.

Oh yay, and Roxy pointed out that whole "those poor inner city blacks!" Republican pronouncement. Also, I'm not sure what suburbs she lives in, unless it's the southern cities'.

They are more poor because of various factors such as location and population. Alaska, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming are very republican states, but they don't have low median household incomes. Also, blue states tend to have already had major industrialization for most of our nation's history, which helps with the wealth of those areas.

Easy with all that logic. We don't want any of that stuff here on the interwebs buddy.

Agreed jdmorgan.

The north and coasts have more inflated housing and goods. Somebody making $70k in Baton Rouge, Louisiana will have an equivalent standard of living as somebody making $108k in San Diego, California.

Unfortunately here (and I don't know how it is in France), the cheapest food to buy, calorie-for-calorie, is at fast food restaurants like McDonald's. Combine that with working possibly multiple jobs with no time to cook, and you have people who need to get the most out of their food money, which sadly means crap that will make you both fat and sick. :-(

Opposite stereotyped, bigoted comments could be said about Trenton, Hartford, Oakland, Newport News in "rich" states.

Wet Virgin perhaps?

I don't like potatoes

Why am I not surprised 9 out of ten of the poorest states consistently vote Republican?

Aww..... I live in alabama. :(

At least there's always Mississippi

Didn't want to pick which political comment thread to put this in, but the correlation between being poor and being Republican is that both reflect an unwillingess to change and modernize. It might be better to characterize these states as conservative rather than Republican-- there are more moderate Republican states that don't have the same issues. What makes these states poor and conservative is that they sit around wanting the world to go back to a concept of yesterday, rather than acknowledging they need to change-- change their economies, change their social viewpoints, change their lifestyles.

Religion is truly "the opiate of the masses". Note that the poorest states have by far the most church goers, gamely suffering through this earthly hell while eagerly awaiting their reward in heaven. And yes, while $70,000 a year may go a lot further in Mississippi than it does in New York or California, how many Mississippians actually earn $70,000/yr?

3 types of lies: Lies, damned lies and statistics. These statistics, like all statistics, can be infinitely refined with "but"... The cost of a home in a "rich" state means your average income is keeping you living in a poverty box. Top 10 "rich" states Maryland and Virginia, full of suburbs leeching from the taxpayers, lie next to the penned in ghetto that supports them. Ever been to Bridgeport or Trenton? They make any part of Mississippi or South Carolina look like a better place to live and raise kids.

Proof that nothing means anything. Everything is fake.

Lots of comments on "dumb poor republican states". However, many of the poorest and least industrious people in our states vote democrat. Most republicans are somewhat successful or own businesses here. I would wager that the least industrious are blue voters, and there are huge numbers of minorities here that vote blue. For instance, while blacks account for 13% of the US population, they are more like 50% of the population in many areas of the South. My city in NC is mostly black in town, and most of the schools are very diverse with migrant children, blacks, and whites. This also goes back to the agriculture and slavery economy that is now wiped out in the South, which leaves tons of people that no longer work or produce stuff, and many don't know how to. Keep in mind, I am white and my wife is black, but I wanted to point these facts out.

This quiz was easy, I just started guessing red states. Hopefully they realize they deserve better, and they stop waiting for “trickle down” effect to actually benefit them and their hard work.

Trickle down isn't going to do great things in itself, but I also don't care to attack wealthy people or business owners and try to have the government steal more of their money to run inept schemes and buy dumb voters. Lower taxes for all classes would be best, and we are seeing a decent economy from recent changes, lowering our corporate tax rate(which was stupidly high), and a small tax cut for middle class folks(though not enough). The left's only answer is to call everyone racist and ignorant, while promising to buy everything you ever coveted with other people's labor and money and promise the moon. Many people in red states are actually blue voters, minorities, etc. who actually require programs and reflect low scores and make the South or red states look impoverished. Nearly every republican or libertarian I know in this red state has a productive job or business. It is mostly blue voters here who have burger shop jobs or have babies with no husbands and require programs.

All we have to do is elect the Democratic Socialist Party of America and we can type in any state because they will all be the same. . . . .

The wealth inequality and budgeting of those states can be terrible, though. Most of the poorest people in red states are blue voters with no education, job skills, or family unit.

Median income in the UK, considered a wealthy country, is $37,863. The median in the poorest state in the US is higher.

It's actually quite funny, that even it's the lowest median income of the poorest states it's still two times higher than median income in my country.

Living in one of the top three poorest states gives me a different insight. Lack of education and the failure to get past the harms done during slavery are the main issues.

All solid republican states. Shame

But many of the poorest voters in these states vote blue.

I knew it wasn't anywhere near DC, lol.

Proof that incentives, capitalism, free markets, and the American dream DO actually work better than most of the world, so I don't know why people keep seeking to destroy this and replace it with some failed systems from other places.

I only know West Virginia even though I don't live in the USA