New Poverty Data Shows Rate in This State Is Nearly 20% and Here’s the Rate in All 50
While the official poverty rate was 10.5% last year, the level varies sharply from state to state. In Mississippi, the figure was 82% higher than the national average.
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The new U.S. Census data on poverty and household income was just released. While the official poverty rate was 10.5% last year, the level varies sharply from state to state. In Mississippi, the figure is 19.1%, or 82% higher than the national average. State figures are based on an average of three years, so the 82% increase is not entirely accurate. However, even with adjustments, the number is grim.
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The official poverty rate has been questioned, although that does not make the Mississippi number less troubling. The Census Bureau also issues a Supplementary Poverty Measure, which shows a national rate of 11.7%. The difference between 10.5% and 11.7% is programs that “lift” people above the poverty level. They are primarily tax credits and Social Security.
The poverty rate measurement for states averages three years (2017, 2018, 2019) to get a statistically stable set of numbers. Based on this measure, the national poverty rate is 11.5%. The Mississippi figure should be measured against that number. That puts the figure for the southern state 66% above the total. The widest contrast with any other state is that between Mississippi and New Hampshire, where the poverty rate is 5.6%.
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These are the official poverty rates for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, based on the 2017, 2018 and 2019 weighting measure.
| Location | People in Poverty (thousands) | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 37,316 | 11.5 |
| Alabama | 715 | 14.7 |
| Alaska | 84 | 11.8 |
| Arizona | 870 | 12.1 |
| Arkansas | 437 | 15.0 |
| California | 4,482 | 11.4 |
| Colorado | 516 | 9.1 |
| Connecticut | 338 | 9.7 |
| Delaware | 74 | 7.6 |
| District of Columbia | 96 | 1.1 |
| Florida | 2,725 | 12.9 |
| Georgia | 1,383 | 13.3 |
| Hawaii | 131 | 9.4 |
| Idaho | 177 | 10.0 |
| Illinois | 1,302 | 10.4 |
| Indiana | 738 | 11.2 |
| Iowa | 269 | 8.7 |
| Kansas | 297 | 10.4 |
| Kentucky | 629 | 14.2 |
| Louisiana | 869 | 19.1 |
| Maine | 152 | 11.4 |
| Maryland | 458 | 7.6 |
| Massachusetts | 629 | 9.2 |
| Michigan | 1,059 | 10.7 |
| Minnesota | 419 | 7.4 |
| Mississippi | 559 | 19.1 |
| Missouri | 667 | 11.1 |
| Montana | 106 | 10.1 |
| Nebraska | 193 | 10.2 |
| Nevada | 369 | 12.1 |
| New Hampshire | 76 | 5.6 |
| New Jersey | 24 | 8.2 |
| New Mexico | 353 | 17.2 |
| New York | 2,348 | 12.1 |
| North Carolina | 1,418 | 13.6 |
| North Dakota | 75 | 10.1 |
| Ohio | 1,423 | 12.4 |
| Oklahoma | 478 | 12.4 |
| Oregon | 412 | 9.8 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,321 | 10.5 |
| Rhode Island | 102 | 9.8 |
| South Carolina | 727 | 14.4 |
| South Dakota | 91 | 10.6 |
| Tennessee | 813 | 12.1 |
| Texas | 3,601 | 12.7 |
| Utah | 243 | 7.6 |
| Vermont | 55 | 1.1 |
| Virginia | 809 | 9.7 |
| Washington | 661 | 8.8 |
| West Virginia | 277 | 15.6 |
| Wisconsin | 506 | 8.7 |
| Wyoming | 59 | 10.5 |
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