The Poorest Town in Each State

Poverty in the United States is not uniform and varies from place to place. Still, each state — no matter how rich — has some poor towns. In every state, there was at least one town with a median annual household income thousands of dollars lower than the state’s median income. In Cumberland, Maryland and Cairo, Illinois the difference was far greater — each had median household incomes at least $40,000 lower than the states’ income figures.

Socioeconomic indicators, such as low educational attainment rates, largely explain the low incomes in many of these towns. The poorest towns in only three states had a college attainment rate that exceeded the national rate of 28.8%. In contrast, the richest towns in all but six states had a college attainment rate greater than the national rate. And in 30 states, more than 50% of residents in the richest towns had at least a bachelor’s degree.

Click here to see the poorest town in each state.

Since every state must have a poorest town, and some states have far higher incomes than others, a state’s poorest town was not always especially poor compared to other states or the nation. Alaska, for example, had a median household income of $70,760 — the third highest nationwide. It’s poorest town, however, Ketchikan, had a median household income of $52,266, roughly in line with the national income figure, and higher than the typical household income in many states.

In other instances, the poorest town in a given state served to illustrate the high income inequality in the state. In New York, which had one of the higher median household incomes compared to other states, the poorest town, Kaser village, was among the poorest towns in the nation. The difference between the towns with the highest and lowest annual income exceeded $100,000 in just 10 states.

To identify the poorest town in each state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed median household incomes for every town with populations of 25,000 or less in each state from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). Due to relatively small sample sizes for town-level data, all social and economic figures are based on five-year estimates for the period 2009-2013. Still, data can be subject to sampling issues. We did not consider towns where the margin of error at 90% confidence was greater than 10% of the point estimate of both median household income and population. Additionally, we did not include Census Designated Places (CDPs). For this reason Rhode Island and Hawaii were excluded. Towns were compared to both the state and national figures. We considered the percentage of residents who had at least a bachelor’s degree, the towns’ poverty rates, and workforce composition — all from the ACS. The percentage of housing units that were owned by their occupants — referred to as the homeownership rate — also came from the ACS.

These are the poorest towns in each state.

1. Tuskegee, Alabama
> Town median household income: $26,848
> State median household income: $43,253 (5th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 24.2%
> Town population: 9,556

A typical household in Tuskegee earned $26,848 per year, the lowest median income in Alabama and roughly half the national median household income of $53,046. Nearly 19% of Alabama residents lived in poverty, the sixth highest rate nationwide. In Tuskegee, the poverty rate was even higher, at more than 24%.

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2. Ketchikan, Alaska
> Town median household income: $52,266
> State median household income: $70,760 (3rd highest)
> Town poverty rate: 8.3%
> Town population: 8,130

While Ketchikan is the poorest town in Alaska, the town is not especially poor compared to the rest of the country. Ketchikan households earned $52,266 annually from 2009 through 2013, roughly in line with the national median income. However, households earned far less than Alaskans as a whole. Alaska’s median household income was $70,760, the third-highest in the nation.

3. Bisbee, Arizona
> Town median household income: $33,038
> State median household income: $49,774 (22nd lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 20.7%
> Town population: 5,507

Arizona households earned nearly $50,000 annually, slightly lower than the national figure of $53,046. Bisbee households — the poorest in the state — earned about two-thirds of that, with a median household income of just slightly over $33,000. Also, more than 20% residents lived in poverty from 2009 through 2013 versus the five-year national average poverty rate of 11.3%.

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4. Helena-West Helena, Arkansas
> Town median household income: $22,807
> State median household income: $40,768 (2nd lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 34.5%
> Town population: 12,012

According to the latest available data, slightly more than one in five households in Helena-West Helena earned less than $10,000 annually, compared to less than one in 10 state residents. Also, 34.5% of residents lived in poverty, compared to 19.2% of residents across the state. Helena-West Helena is the poorest town in the second poorest state in the country. Only 75.1% of the town’s adults had graduated from high school, the smallest percentage of all towns in Arkansas.

5. Clearlake, California
> Town median household income: $25,061
> State median household income: $61,094 (8th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 30.2%
> Town population: 15,127

Clearlake is the poorest town in California, with a poverty rate of 30.2% of residents, compared to a state rate of 15.9%. The typical Clearlake household earned $182,161 less than the average household in the wealthiest town in the state. While lower income often correlates with lower educational attainment, 80.6% of adults in Clearlake had at least a high school diploma, roughly in line with the statewide rate,

6. Sheridan, Colorado
> Town median household income: $32,240
> State median household income: $58,433 (13th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 28.9%
> Town population: 5,746

With 28.9% of residents living below the poverty line, and a median household income more than $26,000 below the state median household income of $58,433, Sheridan was the poorest town in Colorado. Close to 15% of Sheridan, Colorado’s residents earned less than $10,000 per year, compared to just 6.2% of the state’s population.

7. Groton, Connecticut
> Town median household income: $51,768
> State median household income: $69,461 (4th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 12.4%
> Town population: 9,569

Connecticut was the fourth wealthiest state in the country. Though it was the poorest town in the state, Groton’s median household income was relatively high compared to many states’ poorest towns. At $51,768, the typical household in Groton had a higher median household income in line with the national median of $53,046.

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8. Elsmere, Delaware
> Town median household income: $46,536
> State median household income: $59,878 (9th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 12.1%
> Town population: 6,159

In Elsmere, a typical household earned an average of $46,536. While it was the lowest median income of any town in Delaware, it was higher than most of the poorest towns in other states. The median household income was higher in Elsmere than in all but three other states’ poorest towns.

9. Sebring, Florida
> Town median household income: $27,170
> State median household income: $46,956 (14th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 21.1%
> Town population: 10,399

Just over 17% of households in Sebring had an annual income of less $10,000 per year, nearly 10 percentage points lower than the corresponding statewide figure of 7.8%. Low educational attainment rates are often indicative of low income. Only 12.2% of Sebring adults had a four-year college degree, less than half the statewide rate of at 26.4%.

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10. Thomson, Georgia
> Town median household income: $21,050
> State median household income: $49,179 (20th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 30.0%
> Town population: 6,734

In Thompson, Georgia’s poorest town, almost one-quarter of households took home less than $10,000 annually. Also, almost one-third of Thomson residents lived below the poverty line, compared to less than one in five across the state. With only 68.9% of adult residents having completed high school, Thompson was the third least educated town of all of the states’ poorest towns.

11. Moscow, Idaho
> Town median household income: $33,164
> State median household income: $46,767 (13th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 11.4%
> Town population: 24,141

Higher education does not always translate to a higher salary, as is evident in the case of Moscow. As many as 54.4% of town adults had at least a bachelor’s degree — more than double the corresponding statewide rate of 25.1% and nearly double the national rate of 28.8%. Despite the town’s high educational attainment rate, Moscow still had the lowest median household income of any town in Idaho.

12. Cairo, Illinois
> Town median household income: $16,490
> State median household income: $56,797 (16th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 43.4%
> Town population: 2,740

For the most part, many of the country’s poorest towns are located in the country’s poorest states. One notable exception is Cairo, which is located in Illinois — a state with a median household income of $56,797, the 17th highest in the country. Yet Cairo is not just the poorest town in the state, it is also one of the poorest in the country, with a median annual household income of just $16,490. Nearly a third of Cairo’s households earned less than $10,000 per year, compared to just 7.1% of the state’s households.

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13. Knox, Indiana
> Town median household income: $30,300
> State median household income: $48,248 (16th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 20.5%
> Town population: 3,680

Populations with lower educational attainment levels are much more likely to have a lower median income. Knox, the poorest town in Indiana, is no exception. Just 5.5% of adults had a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to the statewide rate of 23.2% and the national rate of 28.8%. The town’s median household income of $30,300 was more than $75,000 less than the median household income of Indiana’s wealthiest town, Zionsville.

14. Keokuk, Iowa
> Town median household income: $34,466
> State median household income: $51,843 (24th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 17.1%
> Town population: 10,765

While 6.2% of Iowa households earned less than $10,000 per year from 2009 through 2013, 12.6% of households in Keokuk earned less than $10,000 in the same time period. Iowa’s wealthiest town, Johnston City, had a median annual income of $93,571, more than double the income of Keokuk.

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15. Coffeyville, Kansas
> Town median household income: $31,537
> State median household income: $51,332 (24th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 20.5%
> Town population: 10,138

Kansas’ median household income of $51,332 was roughly in line with the national median of $53,046. In Coffeyville, the median household income was nearly $20,000 below the state’s median. In Coffeyville, which is close to the state’s border with Oklahoma, more than one in five residents lived below the poverty line, compared to roughly one in seven Kansans.

16. Harrodsburg, Kentucky
> Town median household income: $29,495
> State median household income: $43,036 (4th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 23.2%
> Town population: 8,365

In Kentucky, 16.2% of households earned less than $10,000 per year, slightly more than the 7.2% of American households that made less than $10,000 annually. The corresponding figure in Harrodsburg was more than double the national figure at 16.2%. More than 23% of Harrodsburg residents lived below the poverty line, more than double the national poverty rate of 11.3%

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17. Abbeville, Louisiana
> Town median household income: $29,202
> State median household income: $44,874 (8th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 23.0%
> Town population: 12,293

Of all the poorest towns in each state, Abbeville had the second lowest percentage of adults with a high school diploma at 68%. Also, only 10.3% of the town’s adult residents had a bachelor’s degree. With a median household income of $29,202, Abbeville is the poorest town in the eighth poorest state in the country.

18. Waterville, Maine
> Town median household income: $33,298
> State median household income: $48,453 (19th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 13.6%
> Town population: 15,798

Based on median household income, Waterville is the poorest town in Maine. However, the percentage of the town’s high-earning households was roughly in line with the corresponding statewide figure. Just over 2% of households in Waterville earned more than $200,000, slightly less than the proportion for the state as a whole.

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19. Cumberland, Maryland
> Town median household income: $30,962
> State median household income: $73,538 (the highest)
> Town poverty rate: 15.9%
> Town population: 20,711

Maryland residents are some of the wealthiest in the country, with a median household income of $73,538. Not every town in the state shares that good fortune. Cumberland, the state’s poorest town, had a median household income of just $30,962, $105,000 less than the income of a typical household in Poolesville, the highest-earning Maryland town. Maryland was one of only 10 states where the gap between incomes in the poorest and richest towns exceeded $100,000.

20. North Adams, Massachusetts
> Town median household income: $38,317
> State median household income: $66,866 (5th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 15.5%
> Town population: 13,657

As the poorest town in Massachusetts, 11.6% of North Adams households earned less than $10,000 annually, nearly double the proportion across the state. Only 0.5% of households earned more than $200,000 annually, compared to nearly 8% of Massachusetts residents. The median household income in North Adams was $40,321 less than the median household income in Newburyport, the state’s wealthiest town.

21. Benton Harbor, Michigan
> Town median household income: $18,208
> State median household income: $48,411 (18th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 44.8%
> Town population: 10,054

Benton Harbor is one of only 10 of the poorest towns in each state with a six figure difference separating its median household income from the median household income of the state’s wealthiest town. Nearly 45% of Benton Harbor’s residents lived below the poverty line.

22. Brainerd, Minnesota
> Town median household income: $29,364
> State median household income: $59,836 (10th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 24.2%
> Town population: 13,553

Higher rates of educational attainment often lead to higher income levels. However, even though 88.9% of adults in Brainerd had at least a high school diploma, higher than the national rate of 86%, it was the poorest town in Minnesota for the years 2009 through 2013. According to data from the Census Bureau, 12.2% of Brainerd households earned less than $10,000 per year compared to the statewide figure of 5.6%. In addition the median household income in Brainerd was $92,807 less than that of Victoria, the wealthiest town in Minnesota.

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23. Yazoo City, Mississippi
> Town median household income: $19,197
> State median household income: $39,031 (the lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 43.4%
> Town population: 11,483

Yazoo City is the poorest town in the poorest state in the country. Over 43% of Yazoo City’s residents lived below the poverty line, compared to just 11.3% of residents nationwide. Yazoo City also has a relatively high percentage of low income households — more than 27% of households earned less than $10,000 per year. This figure is more than double the comparable state percentage of 11.4%.

24. Butler, Missouri
> Town median household income: $26,698
> State median household income: $47,380 (15th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 23.7%
> Town population: 4,137

Nearly a quarter of Butler residents lived in poverty from 2009 through 2013. This figure is significantly higher than the state’s poverty rate of 15.5% for the same time period. Also 10.2% of households earned less than $10,000 annually, while only 7.9% of households in the state as a whole earned less than $10,000.

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25. Livingston, Montana
> Town median household income: $39,015
> State median household income: $46,230 (11th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 7.1%
> Town population: 7,060

Livingston is the poorest town in Montana, which itself had one of the lower median household incomes in the nation. A typical Livingston household’s incomes was just $7,215 lower than the state’s income figure, one of the smallest such gaps reviewed. While the poorest town in most states tended to have relatively low educational attainment rates, nearly 31% of Livingston adults had completed at least a bachelor’s degree, higher than both the state and national figures.

26. Superior, Nebraska
> Town median household income: $34,496
> State median household income: $51,672 (25th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 8.1%
> Town population: 1,822

Superior is the poorest town in Nebraska with a median household income of $34,496, less than half the median household income in Gretna, the state’s wealthiest town. The poorest towns in the vast majority of states had relatively low homeownership rates. Despite its status as the poorest town in the state, however, more than 73% of housing units in Superior were owned by their occupants.

27. Mesquite, Nevada
> Town median household income: $44,496
> State median household income: $52,800 (20th highest
> Town poverty rate: 10.1%
> Town population: 15,718

Mesquite was the poorest town in Nevada. However, the difference between its annual median household income and the corresponding statewide figure was just $8,304, one of the smallest gaps compared to other states. The town’s poverty rate of 10.1% was lower than the nationwide rate of 11.3%, and exceptionally low compared to most state’s poorest towns. Unlike the poorest towns in most states, more than 65% of Mesquite’s housing units were owned by their occupants. The homeownership rate was higher than the corresponding state and national figures of 56.7% and 64.9%, respectively.

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28. Berlin, New Hampshire
> Town median household income: $37,856
> State median household income: $64,916 (6th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 12.1%
> Town population: 9,836

While Berlin is the poorest town in New Hampshire, it is not especially poor compared with the nation as a whole. Berlin’s poverty rate of 12.1% was higher than New Hampshire’s poverty rate of 8.7%, which was the lowest compared to other states. But it was roughly in line with the nationwide poverty rate of 11.3%. A typical Berlin household earned $26,721 less than the typical household in Portsmouth, the state’s wealthiest town — one of the smallest such gaps.

29. Pleasantville, New Jersey
> Town median household income: $37,340
> State median household income: $71,629 (2nd highest)
> Town poverty rate: 22.9%
> Town population: 20,391

Pleasantville was the poorest town in New Jersey, which had the second highest household median income in the nation. Compared to households in Essex Fells, the richest town in New Jersey, Pleasantville households earned $134,341 less, one of only 10 such gaps to exceed $100,000.

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30. Deming, New Mexico
> Town median household income: $26,801
> State median household income: $44,927 (9th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 26.0%
> Town population: 14,790

In addition to a low median household income, Deming also reported other below-average economic measures. In Deming, 26% of residents lived below the poverty line, well above the state’s poverty rate of 20.4%, which itself was the second highest of all states. While only 83.6% of New Mexico residents had a high school diploma, lower than the national figure of 86%, only 66% of adults in Deming had completed high school.

31. Kaser Village, New York
> Town median household income: $20,084
> State median household income: $58,003 (14th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 67.6%
> Town population: 4,837

With a median annual household income of slightly more than $58,000, New York is the 14th wealthiest state in the country. Even so, the poorest town in the state is among the poorest nationwide. Just over 67% of Kaser Village’s residents lived below the poverty line, several times the 15.3% state and 11.3% national poverty rates. New York had some of the most unevenly distributed income in the nation. For example, Scarsdale — located just across the Hudson from Kaser — had a median household income that was $213,227 higher than Kaser’s income figure.

32. Marion, North Carolina
> Town median household income: $24,509
> State median household income: $46,334 (12th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 34.7%
> Town population: 7,962

At 34.7%, the poverty rate in Marion was more than three times higher than the national rate of 11.3%. Only 75.6% of adults in Marion had at least a high school diploma, more than 10 percentage points lower than the national rate. Similarly, 13.6% of adults had at least a bachelor’s degree, less than half both the state and national rates.

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33. Devils Lake, North Dakota
> Town median household income: $40,309
> State median household income: $53,741 (19th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 12.6%
> Town population: 7,166

Located just above Devils Lake and the Spirit Lake Reservation, the town of Devils Lake had a median household income of $40,309, the lowest in the state, but not especially low compared to the nation. The difference between incomes in Devils Lake and Horace — North Dakota’s richest town — was $45,762, one of the smaller such gaps reviewed.

34. East Cleveland, Ohio
> Town median household income: $20,577
> State median household income: $48,308 (17th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 35.6%
> Town population: 17,812

East Cleveland had a median household income of $20,577, less than half the median income for Ohio. A good education frequently offers better job opportunities, and relatively low educational attainment in East Cleveland partly explains the low incomes. Only 78.3% of adults in the town had a high school diploma, much lower than the statewide rate of 88.5%. More than 33% of East Cleveland’s population lived in poverty, well above the state’s poverty rate of nearly 16%, which was one of the higher statewide poverty rates.

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35. Stilwell, Oklahoma
> Town median household income: $24,452
> State median household income: $45,339 (10th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 32.7%
> Town population: 3,967

In Stilwell, Oklahoma’s poorest town, 32.7% of residents lived below the poverty line. This was significantly higher than the national poverty rate of 11.3% and the statewide rate of 16.9%. Less than 75% of Stilwell’s adult population had a high school diploma, much lower than the 86.4% of adults statewide who had graduated high school.

36. Prineville, Oregon
> Town median household income: $29,959
> State median household income: $50,229 (23rd lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 18.8%
> Town population: 9,241

While 11.2% of households in Prineville earned $10,000 annually or less, a relatively high percentage, no households earned more than $200,000 annually. Prineville had the lowest median household income in Oregon, at less than $30,000. Like the poorest towns in many other states, Prineville had relatively low educational attainment rates. Less than 11%, of adults had at least a bachelor’s degree, far lower than the statewide rate of nearly 30%.

37. Johnstown, Pennsylvania
> Town median household income: $25,542
> State median household income: $52,548 (21st highest)
> Town poverty rate: 26.8%
> Town population: 20,740

Relatively low education attainment levels in Johnstown likely contributed to the town’s low median household income of $25,542 — less than half the corresponding statewide figure of $52,548. Only 11.2% of adults in Johnstown had at least a bachelor’s degree, compared with 27.5% of adult residents statewide.

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38. Georgetown, South Carolina
> Town median household income: $26,330
> State median household income: $44,779 (7th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 21.8%
> Town population: 9,162

With an annual household income of $44,779, well below the nationwide figure of $53,046, South Carolina is one of the poorest states in the country. Still, the statewide income dwarfs the median household income in Georgetown, South Carolina’s poorest town. At $26,330, Georgetown’s median household income was less than half the national median household income.

39. Spearfish, South Dakota
> Town median household income: $37,644
> State median household income: $49,495 (21st lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 10.2%
> Town population: 10,690

Higher levels of education typically lead to higher incomes, but not in Spearfish, South Dakota. Nearly 33% of adults in Spearfish had at least a bachelor’s degree, 4.1 percentage points higher than the nationwide figure, and 6.7 percentage points higher than the statewide figure. Despite its relatively well educated population, Spearfish is the poorest town in South Dakota.

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40. Newport, Tennessee
> Town median household income: $21,070
> State median household income: $44,298 (6th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 33.7%
> Town population: 6,940

Newport’s poverty rate of 33.7% was well above the state rate of 17.6%, which was itself among the highest rates compared to other states. Newport’s median household income of only $21,070 was the sixth lowest of all the poorest towns in each state. Less than 6% of area adults had at least a bachelor’s degree, a fraction of both the state and national percentages.

41. Crockett, Texas
> Town median household income: $23,110
> State median household income: $51,900 (23rd highest)
> Town poverty rate: 25.9%
> Town population: 6,812

Texas was one of only 10 states where the difference between the median household income of its poorest town and its richest town hit the six figure mark. In Crockett, more than one-quarter of the town’s residents lived in poverty, well above the state’s poverty rate. Also, only 15% of adults had a bachelor’s degree or higher, versus 26.7% of adults statewide. .

42. Delta, Utah
> Town median household income: $45,964
> State median household income: $58,821 (12th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 19.7%
> Town population: 3,457

The median household income in Delta was almost $13,000 less than the median household income in Utah, not an especially large gap compared to other states. The town’s median household income of nearly $46,000 was not very low, compared to poor towns in nearly every other state. Still, nearly 13% of Delta households earned $10,000 or less annually, more than double the corresponding percentage for all of Utah, which was one of the lowest proportions.

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43. Rutland, Vermont
> Town median household income: $40,622
> State median household income: $54,267 (18th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 10.5%
> Town population: 16,345

Even though Rutland stands out as the poorest town in the state, its median household income was not nearly as low as incomes in other towns across the country. Rutland had a smaller percentage of households earning $10,000 or less annually than the country as a whole. Additionally, the town’s poverty rate of 10.5% was slightly lower than the national rate of 11.3%.

44. Hillsville, Virginia
> Town median household income: $30,893
> State median household income: $63,907 (7th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 16.9%
> Town population: 2,720

While Virginia households have some of the highest incomes in the nation, financial hardship can still be found in parts of the state. Nearly 17% of the residents in Hillsville lived below the poverty line compared to 11.3% of residents statewide. Also, 16.5% of Hillsville households earned $10,000 or less annually, more than double the comparable nationwide share of 7.2%.

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45. Chewelah, Washington
> Town median household income: $30,720
> State median household income: $59,478 (11th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 11.6%
> Town population: 2,603

With a median income that was almost half the corresponding statewide number, Chewelah is the poorest town in Washington. The likelihood of earning very high incomes in the area was far lower than across the state. The share of households earning at least $200,000 annually across Washington was more than six times greater than the same share in Chewelah.

46. Elkins, West Virginia
> Town median household income: $33,319
> State median household income: $41,043 (3rd lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 15.4%
> Town population: 7,189

The median household income in Elkins was among the lowest in the nation, nearly $20,000 lower than the national figure of $53,046. One of the poorest states in the country, West Virginia had the second highest percentage of households earning $10,000 or less annually. In Elkins, the percentage was even higher, at 13.6%. Unlike the poorest town in the vast majority of states, Elkins’ poverty rate of 15.4% was actually lower than West Virginia’s poverty rate of 17.9%.

47. Viroqua, Wisconsin
> Town median household income: $33,787
> State median household income: $52,413 (22nd highest)
> Town poverty rate: 8.6%
> Town population: 4,384

Viroqua had a median household income of $33,787. While this was the lowest in the state and among the lower income figures nationwide, other socioeconomic measures of the town were actually quite strong. More than 93% of Viroqua adults had at least a high school diploma, exceptionally high compared the poorest towns in other states, and higher than the attainment rate for Wisconsin. Also, the town’s poverty rate of 8.6% was more than four percentage points lower than the state’s poverty rate, and among the lowest percentages in the country.

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48. Riverton, Wyoming
> Town median household income: $40,847
> State median household income: $57,406 (15th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 14.9%
> Town population: 10,810

Less than 1% of Riverton households earned $200,000 or more annually, a far smaller percentage than the comparable state and national percentages. While incomes in the area were low compared to other towns in the state, Riverton’s median household income of $40,847 was far higher than in the poorest town in many other states. Wyoming’s poorest town also had a poverty rate that was over 3 percentage points higher than the rest of the state.