List of U.S. states by Gini coefficient

The Gini coefficient is a measure of inequality of incomes (or sometimes wealth) across individuals.

A score of "0" on the Gini coefficient represents complete equality, i.e., every person has the same income. A score of 1 would represent complete inequality, i.e., where one person has all the income and others have none. Therefore, a lower Gini score is roughly associated with a more equal distribution of income, and vice versa.

The information was tabulated in 2010 from data from the American Community Survey conducted by the US Census Bureau. Utah, Alaska, and Wyoming show the smallest income disparities while the District of Columbia, New York State, and Connecticut have the largest disparities in income between wage earners in all income categories.[1]

U.S. income inequality was at its highest level since the United States Census Bureau began tracking household income in 1967. The U.S. also has the greatest disparity among western industrialized nations.[1]

List of U.S. states by Gini coefficient of income inequality

A Map of the US by Gini coefficient.
Legend:

The list goes from lowest Gini coefficient to the highest. The Gini index for the United States as a whole is 0.486.

Rank State Gini Coefficient
1 Utah 0.4063
2 Alaska 0.4081
3 Wyoming 0.4360
4 New Hampshire 0.4304
5 Iowa 0.4451
6 Wisconsin 0.4498
7 Nebraska 0.4477
8 Hawaii 0.4420
8 Idaho 0.4503
8 North Dakota 0.4533
11 Montana 0.4667
12 Maine 0.4519
13 Delaware 0.4522
14 Indiana 0.4527
15 Minnesota 0.4496
16 Washington 0.4591
17 South Dakota 0.4495
18 Maryland 0.4499
19 Vermont 0.4539
20 Kansas 0.4550
21 Nevada 0.4577
22 Oregon 0.4583
23 Michigan 0.4695
23 West Virginia 0.4711
25 Ohio 0.4680
26 Oklahoma 0.4645
27 Arizona 0.4713
27 Missouri 0.4646
29 Colorado 0.4586
30 Arkansas 0.4719
31 Virginia 0.4705
32 Pennsylvania 0.4689
32 South Carolina 0.4735
34 New Jersey 0.4813
34 New Mexico 0.4769
34 North Carolina 0.4780
37 Illinois 0.4810
38 Kentucky 0.4813
39 Rhode Island 0.4781
40 Georgia 0.4813
40 Mississippi 0.4828
40 Tennessee 0.4790
43 Texas 0.4800
44 California 0.4899
45 Alabama 0.4847
46 Florida 0.4852
47 Louisiana 0.4990
47 Massachusetts 0.4786
49 Connecticut 0.4945
50 New York 0.5229
51 District of Columbia 0.5420

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Census data: Weddings in 2009 at record low level". Associated Pressdate=. Retrieved 2011-02-08. A different measure, the international Gini index, found U.S. income inequality at its highest level since the Census Bureau began tracking household income in 1967. The U.S. also has the greatest disparity among Western industrialized nations. ... Three states - New York, Connecticut and Texas – and the District of Columbia had the largest gaps in rich and poor, disparities that exceeded the national average. Similar income gaps were evident in large cities such as New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Boston and Atlanta, home to both highly paid financial and high-tech jobs as well as clusters of poorer immigrant and minority residents. On the other end of the scale, Alaska, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and Hawaii had the smallest income gaps.

References

  • - Gini index by state for households
  • - Gini index for US as tabulated in the 2010 American Community Survey
  • U.S. Census Bureau - Gini index as tabulated in the 2009 American Community Survey
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