List of U.S. states and territories by poverty rate

Map of poverty rate in the United States in 2014.
Legend:

<6%   6%-7.5%   7.5%-9%

9%-10.5%   10.5%-12%   12%-13.5%

13.5%-15%   15%-16.5%   >16.5%

Map of estimated poverty rates in the United States by county, 2008. Legend:

<5%    <10%    <15%

<20%    <25%    <30%

<35%    <40%    >40%

This article is a list of U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia ordered by poverty rate. 2014 statistics are not identical to official poverty rates because they include children not counted in the official numbers (see Revised Tables link below). Supplemental Poverty Measure takes into account differences in cost of living between states (i.e. housing costs appreciably higher/lower than the national average) as well as taxes and the value of government assistance programs. All data are from the United States Census Bureau.

The lowest poverty rate was in New Hampshire, and the highest poverty rate was in American Samoa (the highest poverty rate among the states was in Mississippi).

States and territories

Rank	State	Poverty Rate (by Household Income)	People in Poverty by Household Income (in thousands)	2014 Poverty Rates (includes unrelated children)	Supplemental Poverty Measure (2010-2014 average) (Geographically Adjusted)
-	United States	14.8%	45,950		16.0%[1][2]
1	New Hampshire	9.2%	117	9.5%	15.5%
2	Maryland	10.4%	604	9.6%	10.1%
3	Wyoming	10.6%	54	9.3%	9.3%
4	Connecticut	10.8%	376	10.6%	12.5%[3][4][5]
5	North Dakota	11.1%	79	11.0%	9.2%
6	New Jersey	11.1%	972	13.7%	13.9%[6][7]
7	Minnesota	11.4%	607	12.1%	9.7%
8	Alaska	11.4%	81	12.1%	12.5%
9	Hawaii	11.5%	158	12.6%	17.3%
10	Massachusetts	11.7%	760	10.9%	13.8%
11	Virginia	11.8%	955	10.8%	13.3%
12	Utah	11.8%	341	9.8%	11.6%
13	Colorado	12.1%	632	12.4%	13.7%
14	Vermont	12.2%	72	9.7%	13.4%[8]
15	Nebraska	12.3%	167	10.0%	9.8%[9][10]
16	Iowa	12.3%	368	10.9%	8.6%
17	Delaware	13.0%	118	12.4%	13.9%
18	Wisconsin	13.2%	737	11.1%	10.8%
19	Washington	13.2%	913	11.9%	12.2%
20	Kansas	13.5%	381	13.9%	11.5%
21	Pennsylvania	13.6%	1,679	11.2%	12.6%
22	Maine	14.0%	181	11.6%	11.2%
23	South Dakota	14.1%	115	14.3%	10.6%
24	Illinois	14.3%	1,802	13.3%	15.2%
25	Rhode Island	14.8%	149	13.2%	13.6%
26	Idaho	14.8%	237	13.9%	11.8%
27	Montana	15.2%	151	13.5%	12.1%
28	Indiana	15.2%	968	16.4%	14.2%
29	Nevada	15.4%	430	13.1%	19.8%
30	Missouri	15.5%	908	15.6%	12.4%
31	Ohio	15.8%	1,778	13.5%	13.2%
32	New York	15.9%	2,760	15.9%	18.1%[11]
33	Michigan	16.2%	1,567	27.6%	13.5%
34	Oregon	16.4%	637	7.11%	10.3%
35	California	16.4%	6,253	15.5%	23.8%
36	Oklahoma	16.6%	623	13.0%	13.4%
37	Florida	16.6%	3,231	14.6%	19.5%[12]
38	Texas	17.2%	4,519	17.4%	16.4%
39	North Carolina	17.2%	1,663	17.0%	14.2%
40	South Carolina	17.9%	838	13.8%	15.8%
41	Tennessee	18.2%	1,165	16.7%	15.5%
42	Arizona	18.2%	1,195	21.3%	18.8%
43	West Virginia	18.3%	328	16.0%	12.9%
44	Georgia	18.4%	1,298	18.5%	18.2%
45	District of Columbia	18.4%	114	18.0%	22.7%[13]
46	Arkansas	18.7%	539	19.1%	16.5%
47	Kentucky	19.0%	812	17.1%	13.6%
48	Alabama	19.2%	905	16.8%	13.5%
49	Louisiana	19.9%	898	14.3%	18.5%[14]
50	New Mexico	20.6%	347	19.6%	16.1%
51	Mississippi	21.9%	634	23.2%	16.1%[15]
52	U.S. Virgin Islands[16]	22.4%	23.6	—	—
53	Guam[17]	22.9%	35.8	—	—
54	Puerto Rico[18]	43.5%	1,451.6	—	—
55	Northern Mariana Islands[19]	52.3%	27.9	—	—
56	American Samoa[20][A]	57.8%	31.8	—	—

Notes

A.^{^} 57.8% figure is from 2009. In 2017 the governor of American Samoa said that the poverty rate in American Samoa is now 65% (as of 2017).^[21]

See also

• List of US states by Gini coefficient
• List of lowest-income places in the United States
• Thank God for Mississippi

References

External links

• Total Number of People Living in Poverty based on Household Income (In Thousands), 2005. State Health Facts. December 14, 2007.
• Poverty Rate based on Household Income, 2005 . State Health Facts. December 14, 2007.
• Geographic Adjustments of Supplemental Poverty Measure Thresholds: Using the American Community Survey Five-Year Data on Housing Costs Accessed November 27, 2012.
• The Research Supplemental Poverty Measure Accessed June 5, 2014.