Incomes have been on the rise in the United States for well over a decade. Since 2010, the typical American household’s earnings climbed between 0.9% and 6.1% annually. Still, in recent years, incomes have not been rising fast enough to offset inflation. Accounting for the rising cost of living, real incomes in the U.S. fell by nearly 3% from 2019 to 2021, the latest years of available data, which notably does not include the historic inflation high of 9.1% (as measured by the consumer price index) reported in June 2022.
While no one has been spared from surging prices, Americans on the low end of the income spectrum are disproportionately impacted. During inflationary periods, higher-income Americans can cut back on spending and reduce the impact of rising costs. Meanwhile, lower earning Americans,, who spend a larger share of their income on necessities such as food, housing, and gas, cannot. (These are the states where inflation is causing the most stress.)
Though inflation has cooled somewhat in recent months, communities across the country are still being squeezed. In these places, incomes tend to be far lower than what is typical across the state and the country as a whole.
Using five-year median household income estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey, 24/7 Wall St. identified the poorest county or county equivalent in each state. In every place on this list, incomes are anywhere from 12% to 59% lower than they are across the state.
While every county on this list ranks as the poorest in its respective state, levels of financial hardship vary considerably. In many Southern states, including Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi, most households in the poorest counties earn less than $30,000 a year. In wealthier states, such as Hawaii, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, even the poorest counties have median incomes that closely align with what the typical American household earns.
Though income levels range among the counties on this list, some key measures tend to align. For example, in all but five of these counties, the unemployment rate is higher than it is across the state as a whole. Similarly, incomes tend to rise with levels of educational attainment, and in all but two counties on this list, adults are less likely to have a bachelor’s degree or higher than the typical adult in the state. (These are the 25 highest paying college majors.)
Click here to see the poorest county in every state.
Click here to see our detailed methodology.
Source: Jacqueline Nix / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
Alabama (62 counties considered): Sumter
> Median household income: $27,099 (state: $54,943)
> Poverty rate: 31.6% (state: 15.8%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 4.5% (state: 2.2%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 19.5% (state: 26.7%)
> Population: 12,482 (state: 4,997,675)
> County seat: Livingston
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Alaska (22 boroughs considered): Yukon-Koyukuk
> Median household income: $43,405 (state: $80,287)
> Poverty rate: 23.2% (state: 10.4%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 8.9% (state: 3.7%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 12.9% (state: 30.6%)
> Population: 5,433 (state: 735,951)
> County seat: N/A
Arizona (15 counties considered): Apache
> Median household income: $34,788 (state: $65,913)
> Poverty rate: 33.9% (state: 13.5%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 8.8% (state: 3.5%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 12.8% (state: 31.2%)
> Population: 66,473 (state: 7,079,203)
> County seat: St. Johns
Arkansas (64 counties considered): Chicot
> Median household income: $33,770 (state: $52,123)
> Poverty rate: 29.6% (state: 16.0%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 5.3% (state: 2.6%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 14.8% (state: 24.3%)
> Population: 10,405 (state: 3,006,309)
> County seat: Lake Village
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
California (56 counties considered): Trinity
> Median household income: $42,206 (state: $84,097)
> Poverty rate: 22.5% (state: 12.3%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 5.3% (state: 4.6%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 18.6% (state: 35.3%)
> Population: 15,818 (state: 39,455,353)
> County seat: Weaverville
Colorado (49 counties considered): Conejos
> Median household income: $38,536 (state: $80,184)
> Poverty rate: 16.3% (state: 9.6%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 3.2% (state: 2.8%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 24.5% (state: 42.8%)
> Population: 7,579 (state: 5,723,176)
> County seat: Conejos
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Connecticut (8 counties considered): Windham
> Median household income: $71,418 (state: $83,572)
> Poverty rate: 11.3% (state: 10.0%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 4.2% (state: 3.7%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 24.4% (state: 40.6%)
> Population: 116,503 (state: 3,605,330)
> County seat: N/A
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Source: Kptan123 / iStock via Getty Images
Delaware (3 counties considered): Kent
> Median household income: $63,715 (state: $72,724)
> Poverty rate: 13.3% (state: 11.4%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 5.3% (state: 4.2%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 25.7% (state: 33.6%)
> Population: 180,078 (state: 981,892)
> County seat: Dover
Source: BOB WESTON / iStock via Getty Images
Florida (62 counties considered): Calhoun
> Median household income: $38,098 (state: $61,777)
> Poverty rate: 18.2% (state: 13.1%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 3.3% (state: 2.6%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 10.0% (state: 31.5%)
> Population: 13,863 (state: 21,339,762)
> County seat: Blountstown
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Georgia (128 counties considered): Wheeler
> Median household income: $26,776 (state: $65,030)
> Poverty rate: 23.0% (state: 13.9%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 6.2% (state: 3.2%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 9.1% (state: 33.0%)
> Population: 7,568 (state: 10,625,615)
> County seat: Alamo
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Hawaii (4 counties considered): Hawaii
> Median household income: $68,399 (state: $88,005)
> Poverty rate: 13.8% (state: 9.5%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 3.8% (state: 3%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 30.2% (state: 34.3%)
> Population: 200,468 (state: 1,453,498)
> County seat: Hilo
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Idaho (36 counties considered): Shoshone
> Median household income: $43,188 (state: $63,377)
> Poverty rate: 15.1% (state: 11.4%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 4.4% (state: 2.7%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 11.3% (state: 29.1%)
> Population: 13,124 (state: 1,811,617)
> County seat: Wallace
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Source: Nyttend / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Illinois (100 counties considered): Jackson
> Median household income: $41,699 (state: $72,563)
> Poverty rate: 23.8% (state: 11.8%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 4.9% (state: 4%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 34.2% (state: 36.2%)
> Population: 53,676 (state: 12,821,813)
> County seat: Murphysboro
Indiana (91 counties considered): Crawford
> Median household income: $42,465 (state: $61,944)
> Poverty rate: 19.2% (state: 12.5%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 3.5% (state: 3.2%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 11.7% (state: 27.8%)
> Population: 10,511 (state: 6,751,340)
> County seat: English
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Iowa (99 counties considered): Appanoose
> Median household income: $46,900 (state: $65,429)
> Poverty rate: 19.4% (state: 11.0%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 3.2% (state: 2.7%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 18.9% (state: 29.7%)
> Population: 12,310 (state: 3,179,090)
> County seat: Centerville
Source: Ammodramus / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Kansas (90 counties considered): Graham
> Median household income: $44,091 (state: $64,521)
> Poverty rate: 9.2% (state: 11.5%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 2.4% (state: 2.8%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 26.4% (state: 34.4%)
> Population: 2,444 (state: 2,932,099)
> County seat: Hill City
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Kentucky (98 counties considered): Magoffin
> Median household income: $29,615 (state: $55,454)
> Poverty rate: 29.0% (state: 16.3%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 9.7% (state: 3.8%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 10.9% (state: 25.7%)
> Population: 11,818 (state: 4,494,141)
> County seat: Salyersville
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Louisiana (58 parishes considered): Claiborne
> Median household income: $29,574 (state: $53,571)
> Poverty rate: 33.6% (state: 18.8%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 4.4% (state: 3.6%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 12.2% (state: 25.5%)
> Population: 14,456 (state: 4,657,305)
> County seat: Homer
Maine (16 counties considered): Washington
> Median household income: $46,689 (state: $63,182)
> Poverty rate: 18.7% (state: 11.0%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 3.2% (state: 2.4%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 24.0% (state: 33.6%)
> Population: 31,003 (state: 1,357,046)
> County seat: Machias
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Maryland (24 counties considered): Somerset
> Median household income: $48,661 (state: $91,431)
> Poverty rate: 20.4% (state: 9.2%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 2.4% (state: 2%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 17.0% (state: 41.6%)
> Population: 24,834 (state: 6,148,545)
> County seat: Princess Anne
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Massachusetts (13 counties considered): Hampden
> Median household income: $61,310 (state: $89,026)
> Poverty rate: 15.9% (state: 9.9%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 3.5% (state: 2.6%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 28.2% (state: 45.2%)
> Population: 466,265 (state: 6,991,852)
> County seat: Springfield
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Michigan (82 counties considered): Lake
> Median household income: $40,753 (state: $63,202)
> Poverty rate: 19.4% (state: 13.3%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 6.9% (state: 3.6%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 13.1% (state: 30.6%)
> Population: 12,248 (state: 10,062,512)
> County seat: Baldwin
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Minnesota (87 counties considered): Mahnomen
> Median household income: $48,021 (state: $77,706)
> Poverty rate: 21.1% (state: 9.2%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 5.2% (state: 2.9%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 12.9% (state: 37.6%)
> Population: 5,429 (state: 5,670,472)
> County seat: Mahnomen
Source: BOB WESTON / iStock via Getty Images
Mississippi (67 counties considered): Holmes
> Median household income: $24,958 (state: $49,111)
> Poverty rate: 39.2% (state: 19.4%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 7.1% (state: 3.1%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 12.7% (state: 23.2%)
> Population: 17,243 (state: 2,967,023)
> County seat: Lexington
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Missouri (110 counties considered): Hickory
> Median household income: $32,132 (state: $61,043)
> Poverty rate: 15.4% (state: 12.8%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 3.7% (state: 2.6%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 9.8% (state: 30.7%)
> Population: 8,429 (state: 6,141,534)
> County seat: Hermitage
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Montana (42 counties considered): Glacier
> Median household income: $39,441 (state: $60,560)
> Poverty rate: 28.0% (state: 12.5%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 5.6% (state: 2.4%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 21.7% (state: 33.7%)
> Population: 13,827 (state: 1,077,978)
> County seat: Cut Bank
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Nebraska (76 counties considered): Garden
> Median household income: $43,478 (state: $66,644)
> Poverty rate: 6.9% (state: 10.3%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 2.2% (state: 1.9%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 26.5% (state: 32.9%)
> Population: 1,726 (state: 1,951,480)
> County seat: Oshkosh
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Nevada (11 counties considered): Nye
> Median household income: $52,570 (state: $65,686)
> Poverty rate: 15.6% (state: 12.9%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 7.1% (state: 5.4%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 12.7% (state: 26.1%)
> Population: 50,096 (state: 3,059,238)
> County seat: Tonopah
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New Hampshire (10 counties considered): Coos
> Median household income: $52,054 (state: $83,449)
> Poverty rate: 10.9% (state: 7.4%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 2% (state: 1.8%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 20.0% (state: 38.2%)
> Population: 31,360 (state: 1,372,175)
> County seat: Lancaster
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New Jersey (21 counties considered): Cumberland
> Median household income: $58,397 (state: $89,703)
> Poverty rate: 15.7% (state: 9.8%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 6.1% (state: 3.7%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 17.0% (state: 41.5%)
> Population: 154,921 (state: 9,234,024)
> County seat: Bridgeton
New Mexico (26 counties considered): Quay
> Median household income: $33,067 (state: $54,020)
> Poverty rate: 25.5% (state: 18.3%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 5.1% (state: 3.5%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 15.5% (state: 28.5%)
> Population: 8,675 (state: 2,109,366)
> County seat: Tucumcari
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New York (61 counties considered): Bronx
> Median household income: $43,726 (state: $75,157)
> Poverty rate: 26.5% (state: 13.5%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 7.6% (state: 3.9%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 20.9% (state: 38.1%)
> Population: 1,468,262 (state: 20,114,745)
> County seat: N/A
North Carolina (95 counties considered): Robeson
> Median household income: $36,736 (state: $60,516)
> Poverty rate: 27.3% (state: 13.7%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 5.2% (state: 3.3%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 14.2% (state: 33.0%)
> Population: 118,836 (state: 10,367,022)
> County seat: Lumberton
North Dakota (46 counties considered): Sioux
> Median household income: $39,755 (state: $68,131)
> Poverty rate: 38.5% (state: 10.7%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 4.4% (state: 2%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 13.6% (state: 31.1%)
> Population: 3,993 (state: 773,344)
> County seat: Fort Yates
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Ohio (88 counties considered): Scioto
> Median household income: $43,266 (state: $61,938)
> Poverty rate: 23.8% (state: 13.4%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 4.9% (state: 3.4%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 16.4% (state: 29.7%)
> Population: 74,392 (state: 11,769,923)
> County seat: Portsmouth
Oklahoma (73 counties considered): Adair
> Median household income: $37,940 (state: $56,956)
> Poverty rate: 24.5% (state: 15.2%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 3.7% (state: 2.7%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 10.6% (state: 26.8%)
> Population: 19,839 (state: 3,948,136)
> County seat: Stilwell
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Oregon (34 counties considered): Wheeler
> Median household income: $46,648 (state: $70,084)
> Poverty rate: 14.0% (state: 12.1%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 3% (state: 3.5%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 19.6% (state: 35.0%)
> Population: 1,477 (state: 4,207,177)
> County seat: Fossil
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Pennsylvania (67 counties considered): Cameron
> Median household income: $43,615 (state: $67,587)
> Poverty rate: 16.1% (state: 11.8%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 5.3% (state: 3.8%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 10.6% (state: 33.1%)
> Population: 4,596 (state: 12,970,650)
> County seat: Emporium
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Rhode Island (5 counties considered): Providence
> Median household income: $65,797 (state: $74,489)
> Poverty rate: 13.6% (state: 11.3%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 3.3% (state: 2.9%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 30.6% (state: 35.3%)
> Population: 656,672 (state: 1,091,949)
> County seat: N/A
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South Carolina (44 counties considered): Marlboro
> Median household income: $32,136 (state: $58,234)
> Poverty rate: 28.0% (state: 14.5%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 8.4% (state: 3.1%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 8.0% (state: 29.8%)
> Population: 26,912 (state: 5,078,903)
> County seat: Bennettsville
South Dakota (57 counties considered): Todd
> Median household income: $26,250 (state: $63,920)
> Poverty rate: 59.0% (state: 12.5%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 4% (state: 1.8%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 13.3% (state: 30.0%)
> Population: 9,434 (state: 881,785)
> County seat: Winner
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Tennessee (88 counties considered): Hancock
> Median household income: $29,650 (state: $58,516)
> Poverty rate: 29.1% (state: 14.3%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 5.6% (state: 3.2%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 11.1% (state: 29.0%)
> Population: 6,695 (state: 6,859,497)
> County seat: Sneedville
Source: Roberto Galan / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
Texas (187 counties considered): Starr
> Median household income: $33,334 (state: $67,321)
> Poverty rate: 32.6% (state: 14.0%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 9.6% (state: 4.1%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 12.3% (state: 31.5%)
> Population: 65,568 (state: 28,862,581)
> County seat: Rio Grande City
Utah (24 counties considered): Grand
> Median household income: $51,433 (state: $79,133)
> Poverty rate: 14.8% (state: 8.8%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 2.1% (state: 2.4%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 26.9% (state: 35.4%)
> Population: 9,630 (state: 3,231,370)
> County seat: Moab
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Vermont (14 counties considered): Essex
> Median household income: $48,194 (state: $67,674)
> Poverty rate: 14.7% (state: 10.5%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 3.4% (state: 1.9%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 19.9% (state: 40.9%)
> Population: 5,972 (state: 641,637)
> County seat: Guildhall
Virginia (119 counties considered): Dickenson
> Median household income: $33,905 (state: $80,615)
> Poverty rate: 21.2% (state: 9.9%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 4.3% (state: 2.7%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 10.4% (state: 40.3%)
> Population: 14,256 (state: 8,582,479)
> County seat: Clintwood
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Washington (38 counties considered): Whitman
> Median household income: $43,613 (state: $82,400)
> Poverty rate: 24.7% (state: 10.0%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 3.4% (state: 3.8%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 47.6% (state: 37.3%)
> Population: 48,197 (state: 7,617,364)
> County seat: Colfax
West Virginia (50 counties considered): McDowell
> Median household income: $30,127 (state: $50,884)
> Poverty rate: 28.9% (state: 16.9%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 6.1% (state: 3.3%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 6.4% (state: 21.8%)
> Population: 19,334 (state: 1,801,049)
> County seat: Welch
Wisconsin (72 counties considered): Iron
> Median household income: $48,908 (state: $67,080)
> Poverty rate: 13.2% (state: 10.7%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 5.9% (state: 2.5%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 23.0% (state: 31.5%)
> Population: 6,074 (state: 5,871,661)
> County seat: Hurley
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Wyoming (21 counties considered): Albany
> Median household income: $50,733 (state: $68,002)
> Poverty rate: 23.6% (state: 10.7%)
> Unemployment rate, June 2023: 3.1% (state: 3.1%)
> Adults with bachelor’s degree: 56.3% (state: 28.5%)
> Population: 37,311 (state: 576,641)
> County seat: Laramie
Methodology
To identify the poorest county in each state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed median annual household incomes for each U.S. county using five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey. We only considered counties with income estimates with a maximum 15% margin of error. For South Dakota we increased the margin of error threshold to 20%. It is important to note that margins of error increased in census data that contain the year 2020.
We also reviewed in each county the percentage of adults who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, the poverty rate, and median home value from the ACS. Unemployment rates for June 2023 are preliminary figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and are not seasonally adjusted.
County equivalents, such as parishes in Louisiana and boroughs in Alaska, were included in our analysis.
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