U.S. States · Highest to lowest
States ranked by median household income
Median household income is the single most-cited measure of state-level economic well-being. It captures the income of the household at the exact middle of each state's distribution — half of households earn more, half earn less.
Top 5
The top of the income ranking is dominated by Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states with deep finance, professional-services, and federal-contracting economies, plus a few outliers (Hawaii, Utah).
- #1 District of Columbia$106,287
- #2 Maryland$101,652
- #3 Massachusetts$101,341
- #4 New Jersey$101,050
- #5 Hawaii$98,317
Bottom 5
The bottom of the ranking concentrates in the Deep South and Appalachia — Mississippi, West Virginia, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas. Median income in these states is roughly half the top tier.
- #51 Mississippi$54,915
- #50 West Virginia$57,917
- #49 Arkansas$58,773
- #48 Louisiana$60,023
- #47 Alabama$62,027
All 50 states
| # | State | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of ColumbiaDC | $106,287 |
| 2 | MarylandMD | $101,652 |
| 3 | MassachusettsMA | $101,341 |
| 4 | New JerseyNJ | $101,050 |
| 5 | HawaiiHI | $98,317 |
| 6 | CaliforniaCA | $96,334 |
| 7 | New HampshireNH | $95,628 |
| 8 | WashingtonWA | $94,952 |
| 9 | ConnecticutCT | $93,760 |
| 10 | ColoradoCO | $92,470 |
| 11 | UtahUT | $91,750 |
| 12 | VirginiaVA | $90,974 |
| 13 | AlaskaAK | $89,336 |
| 14 | MinnesotaMN | $87,556 |
| 15 | Rhode IslandRI | $86,372 |
| 16 | New YorkNY | $84,578 |
| 17 | DelawareDE | $82,855 |
| 18 | IllinoisIL | $81,702 |
| 19 | OregonOR | $80,426 |
| 20 | VermontVT | $78,024 |
| 21 | ArizonaAZ | $76,872 |
| 22 | TexasTX | $76,292 |
| 23 | PennsylvaniaPA | $76,081 |
| 24 | North DakotaND | $75,949 |
| 25 | WisconsinWI | $75,670 |
| 26 | NevadaNV | $75,561 |
| 27 | NebraskaNE | $74,985 |
| 28 | WyomingWY | $74,815 |
| 29 | GeorgiaGA | $74,664 |
| 30 | IdahoID | $74,636 |
| 31 | IowaIA | $73,147 |
| 32 | KansasKS | $72,639 |
| 33 | South DakotaSD | $72,421 |
| 34 | MaineME | $71,773 |
| 35 | FloridaFL | $71,711 |
| 36 | MichiganMI | $71,149 |
| 37 | IndianaIN | $70,051 |
| 38 | MontanaMT | $69,922 |
| 39 | North CarolinaNC | $69,904 |
| 40 | OhioOH | $69,680 |
| 41 | MissouriMO | $68,920 |
| 42 | TennesseeTN | $67,097 |
| 43 | South CarolinaSC | $66,818 |
| 44 | OklahomaOK | $63,603 |
| 45 | KentuckyKY | $62,417 |
| 46 | New MexicoNM | $62,125 |
| 47 | AlabamaAL | $62,027 |
| 48 | LouisianaLA | $60,023 |
| 49 | ArkansasAR | $58,773 |
| 50 | West VirginiaWV | $57,917 |
| 51 | MississippiMS | $54,915 |
Methodology
- What this measures
- ACS5 Table B19013: median income of all households (one or more people occupying a housing unit) over the prior 12 months. Includes wages, self-employment, retirement, Social Security, public assistance, interest, dividends, and rental income.
- Why it matters
- Median income, paired with median housing cost, is the cleanest read on real affordability. A high-income state with even higher housing costs (California) can be less affordable for the typical household than a lower-income state with cheaper housing (Iowa).
- Caveats
- Cost of living is not adjusted out — $90,000 in Mississippi buys far more than $90,000 in Massachusetts. Always pair income with the median home value and median rent rankings.
- Source
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, vintage 2023 (released December 2024). census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
Frequently asked
- Why is Maryland's income so high?
- Maryland sits adjacent to Washington, DC, and a large share of its labor force works in federal contracting and defense. Montgomery and Howard counties are among the highest-income counties in the country.
- Is high median income the same as a 'rich state'?
- No. High median income tells you the typical household earns a lot, not that there's no poverty. New York, California, and Massachusetts all have high median incomes alongside large below-poverty populations.