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These Are the Ten Poorest States in the Union

Sep. 16, 2011 1:40pm Becket Adams

The U.S. Census Bureau released two pieces of widely followed data earlier this week — one on poverty and the other on median income for 2010. The most interesting findings in this release were the state-by-state figures, especially when compared to national averages. A closer look at the statistics shows that a relatively small number of states suffer such widespread levels of low income and poverty that they skew the overall national numbers downward.

The national poverty rate last year was 15.1 percent. That is up from 11.3 percent in 2000 and is the highest it has been since 1993. Over 46 million people lived below the poverty line in 2010. The cut-off for that line is households of four people who made under $22,314. The other troubling news was that median income per household nationwide was an inflation-adjusted $49,445. This is about the same as in 1989 and down 2.3 percent from 2009.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed census data from all 50 states on median income, poverty rates, unemployment, and lack of health insurance. They then identified the ten states that have the lowest median income.

This is the list of the poorest states in America as researched and compiled by 24/7 Wall St.:

The Ten Poorest States in the Union 10. North Carolina
Median income: $43,275
Poverty rate: 16.1 percent (tied for 9th highest)
Without health insurance: 16.7 percent (13th highest)
Unemployment: 10.1 percent (9th highest)

North Carolina has one of the lowest median incomes in the country. It does not perform much better on other metrics related to poverty. There have been a number of programs implemented to help combat poverty in the state recently. One example is the No Kid Hungry program which aims to end childhood hunger in North Carolina by 2015. According to information from the program, “more than 1 in 4 children in North Carolina do not get sufficient food.”

The Ten Poorest States in the Union 9. Alabama
Median income: $42,218
Poverty rate: 16.1 percent (tied for 9th highest)
Without health insurance: 14.4 percent (21st highest)
Unemployment rate: 10.0 percent (10th highest)

Alabama has one of the worst poverty rates in the country. Combined with an unemployment rate of 10 percent and a median income of just $42,000, state residents are not in very good shape. State Governor Robert Bentley, acknowledging the dire circumstances state residents face, has begun a “road to economic recovery” campaign aimed at creating jobs in order to pull the state out of depression. In an interview in the Andalusia Star News, Bentley says he hoped to create 10,000 new jobs by the end of the year, but that it would be challenging.

The Ten Poorest States in the Union 8. Kentucky
Median income: $42,091
Poverty rate: 17.3 percent (6th highest)
Without health insurance: 15.5 percent (18th highest)
Unemployment rate: 9.5 percent (13th highest)

Residents of Kentucky are among the poorest in the nation, and have the 6th highest rate of poverty. One way the state works to lessen the impact of poverty is through Community Action Kentucky, an organization that provides “direct social services to Kentuckians with low and moderate incomes in all 120 Kentucky counties.” The group provides services ranging from housing to employment training to Meals on Wheels.

The Ten Poorest States in the Union 7. South Carolina
Median income: $42,059
Poverty rate: 14.9 percent (16th highest)
Without health insurance: 17.6 percent (12th highest)
Unemployment rate: 10.9 percent (4th highest)

South Carolina has the fourth-highest unemployment rate in the country, contributing to the state’s high level of poverty and seventh-lowest median income. According to the Greenville News, Governor Nikki Haley stated: “The No. 1 key to dealing with these is training people quickly and getting them back to work.” As a result, Haley is in the midst of developing a jobs training program designed to improve the readiness of the state workforce and, hopefully, drive new employers to South Carolina.

The Ten Poorest States in the Union 6. Montana
Median income: $42,005
Poverty rate: 13.4 percent (24th highest)
Without health insurance: 16.3 percent (16th highest)
Unemployment rate: 7.7 percent (18th lowest)

Aside from its exceptionally low median income, Montana does not rank particularly low on many poverty-related metrics. It also has a lower overall poverty rate than the national average of 15.1 percent. Times are still tough in the state. According to NBC Montana, the number of students who receive free or reduced cost lunches has increased by at least 2 percent each year since 2007. In some schools, the share of students receiving these benefits has exceeded 80 percent.

The Ten Poorest States in the Union 5. Louisiana
Median income: $41,896
Poverty rate: 18 percent (4th highest)
Without health insurance: 18 percent (11th highest)
Unemployment rate: 7.6 percent (17th lowest)

Nearly one in five people in Louisiana lives in a state of poverty. This is the fourth-worst rate in the country. A full 18 percent of residents are without health insurance, and median income is the fifth-lowest in the country. The after effects of Hurricane Katrina and, to a lesser extent, the Gulf oil spill, have hurt tourism and job opportunities in the region. In an effort to stimulate the state economy, Governor Bobby Jindal has proposed the construction of a new gas-to-liquids facility, which is expected to create more than 5,000 jobs: “We’re here to make an announcement that could result in Louisiana’s largest economic development project in our state’s entire history.”

The Ten Poorest States in the Union 4. West Virginia
Median income: $40,824
Poverty rate: 15.7 percent (12th highest)
Without health insurance: 13.9 percent (25th highest)
Unemployment rate: 8.1 percent (tied for 24th lowest)

The percentage of West Virginia residents living below the poverty line has increased steadily since 2008. Worst still, approximately one in five West Virginia children now live in poverty. There has been an increase in the number of West Virginians with health insurance, however. This is likely due to government programs such as Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, according to the Center on Budget and Policy, as there has been a decrease in employer-based coverage.

The Ten Poorest States in the Union 3. Tennessee
Median income: $40,026
Poverty rate: 16.1 percent (11th highest)
Without health insurance: 14.7 percent (20th highest)
Unemployment rate: 9.8 percent (11th highest)

Tennessee has the third-lowest median income in the United states, as well as some of the worst poverty and unemployment rates in the country. While speaking at the Kingsport Center for Higher Education, Governor Bill Haslan announced that the centerpiece of his job creation initiative was “setting the right environment.” “It has to have a low-tax and low-regulatory environment,” he continued. “We need to have elected officials who understand business.”

The Ten Poorest States in the Union 2. Arkansas
Median income: $38,600
Poverty rate: 16.5 percent (8th highest)
Without health insurance: 18.5 percent (9th highest)
Unemployment rate: 8.2 percent (25th highest)

Despite an unemployment rate that is almost a full percentage point below the national average, Arkansas is one of the poorest states. The state’s median income is the second lowest in the country. Its poverty rate and the percentage of people without health insurance also place the state among the ten worst. Poverty may be even worse among children in the state. According to a recent study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, about 27 percent of children in the state lived in impoverished homes as of 2009.

The Ten Poorest States in the Union 1. Mississippi
Median income: $36,850
Poverty rate: 21.3 percent (the highest)
Without health insurance: 18.7 percent (8th highest)
Unemployment rate: 10.4 percent (7th highest)

In nearly every metric associated with poverty, education, employment, health risk, and insurance coverage, Mississippi has been close to the bottom for years. The state is among the ten worst for both unemployment and health insurance coverage. It has the worst poverty rate in the U.S., and by far the lowest median income in the country, at just $36,850 — not quite half of New Hampshire’s median household income. The state was also hit hard by Katrina, including the Gulfport Harbor, which the Federal Government is allotting $500 million to help rebuild. Proponents of the project expect thousands of jobs will be created in the process.

(24/7 Wall St. Staff/Becket Adams – 24/7 Wall St./The Blaze)

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Comments (338)

hightide
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:13pm
I’d rather make $42,000 in Alabama than $1,000,000 in California or New York. Horrible places…
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- Docrow
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:20pm
  yup!
  
  Report this comment
- GardenoftheGods
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:22pm
  Damn straight! There’s more to life than money…
  
  Report this comment
- OhForGodsSake
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:24pm
  Hahahahahhahahahahahha
  
  Report this comment
- Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:24pm
  Been to both Alabama and California, not to NY yet (and hopefully never will to live). Alabama is a good place, and anyone who can flee the Socialist State of California shoud do so, and come to Arizona where you will be welcomed — no socialists though, the constant complaints get annoying after awhile.
  http://artinphoenix.com/gallery/grimm (cat folk art)
  
  Report this comment
- compgraphics
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:25pm
  Just moved this Labor Day weekend from upstate New York to beautiful Lake Murray in SC. 90% drop in our property taxes. Every other car is a Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, etc. Stunning 3,000-4,000 sq. ft. homes are the norm here. Just the drop in property taxes alone almost pays the mortgage for our new home. According to city-data demographics this area has a higher per capita income than upstate NY where we came from. When I would go to the grocery store in NY, it seemed like every person in there besides me was paying with food stamps, EBT card, welfare… Haven’t seen any of that here. Gas is 60 cents cheaper per gallon. I would never go back north. Goodbye Blue State, Hello Red State…I’m FREE!
  
  Report this comment
- John 3:16
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:25pm
  Say what they will, but Californicate has to be the most poverty ridden state in the union because the debt they have will come due and I’m not paying for it. For a bonus they are the most morally bankrupt state in the union. I would live in NC any day before I would ever live in the communist Repuplic of Californicate.
  
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- Fly Old Glory 24/7 365
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:28pm
  ppl can make this report say whatever they want it to say. I currently live in SC and we do some strange things here, but absolutly love the weather, close to the beach, close to the mountains, not too far south, not too far north, back to back National Champion Gamecock baseball team, USC football current #10 in the country, right to work state, oh I could go on and on. Yep, it really sucks to live here…..
  
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- wisehiney
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:35pm
  One of the things that I am most thankful for is the Good Lord planting my family here in beautiful NC. I personally know three retired NYC policemen and women who took their very early, very lucrative pensions and moved here to retire and spend and pay tax on them here. Very fine folks. Y’all keep sending us your best and leave the rest. (including Encinom)
  
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- John 3:16
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:36pm
  Most of the countries that our socialist elite brag about would love to have the poverty rate our most poverty stricken states have. All you have to do is travel to Venazuala once and you will see real poverty. About 80% of the people living in America classisied as poverty stricken, own Big screen TVs and cable, have 3g cell phones, own one to two cars and have a roof over their head that is not made of cardboard or tin.
  
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- scarebear83
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:36pm
  I remember back in like ’03 I talked to someone who lived in Northern Cali and their 1 bedroom house to rent was like $1,000 while here in TN my friends were able to rent a two bed room house (with a little bit of a front yard) for about $300 a month. The cost of living is definitely cheaper.
  
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- Clive
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:37pm
  all “red states”, what a shock.
  
  Report this comment
- rangerp
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:39pm
  @HIGHTIDE
  
  You are dad gum right, and we got SEC football. What lib yankee state has two teams from their union loving state win NCAA championships two years in a row?
  
  War Eagle
  
  Report this comment
- Fly Old Glory 24/7 365
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:45pm
  @ COMPGRAPHICS: Lake Murray is incredible. The Dam is incredible. The homes on the lake, the boats on the lake, the shopping near the lake, etc… Great place to live. Anyone that is looking for a good place in the south but not too far south to live should consider the Lake Murray area.
  
  Report this comment
- Marcia
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:48pm
  Proverbs 16:8 Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice.
  I’d rather be happy in a shack with those that love me, than a penthouse in NYC surrounded by smug idiots.
  
  Report this comment
- sbeejustsaying
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:49pm
  In California making 1,000,000 your living in a nice area in a nice house and don’t mingle with the unwashed masses.
  
  Report this comment
- John 3:16
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:52pm
  Oh and by the way…. Don’t go messin with a countryboy, cause a country boy can survive!!!
  
  Report this comment
- cemerius
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 3:02pm
  Correct…100,000 in California is like making 30,000 in Florida….
  
  Report this comment
- therapist
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 3:06pm
  True That !
  
  Report this comment
- Jim in Houston
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 3:22pm
  You would have far more left over to spend on yourself.
  
  Report this comment
- Chuck Stein
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 3:24pm
  Seriously? I get the point, but California and New York are big states. If I had the choice between $1,000,000 in Cal. or N.Y. versus $42,000 in Alabama, you would find me on 20 acres or so in upstate NY with a nice apple orchard — and a growing bank account. If it were $100,000 instead of $1,000,000, though, you would find me in Alabama.
  
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- Echelon
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 3:37pm
  California is the worst offender in the U.S. and is as Putin put it a “parasite”. The only good thing about CA is the weather but according to Gore, that will change over time! Go to hell California.
  
  Report this comment
- DEConservative
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 4:27pm
  Amen and Amen
  
  Report this comment
- OnceAMarine
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 4:49pm
  you don’t need to tell us to go to hell
  
  we are already there!
  
  Report this comment
- NC1
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 4:56pm
  What’s the big deal. We got what we need here. Can’t take the money with you when you’re gone.
  
  Report this comment
- FireRose
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 5:17pm
  California is not a horrible place. Politics suck, and certain places have little beauty, but there are some great aspects to it.
  
  Report this comment
- This_Individual
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 5:42pm
  ECHELON – You quoting Putin says a lot. If the both of you don’t like us, I guess we are doing something right.
  
  Report this comment
- willbedone
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 5:46pm
  More to life than NYC, Boston, Atlanta and any city in CA
  
  Report this comment
- Mastermagi
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 5:56pm
  I left western New York 13 years ago – first went to Missouri, then on to Tennessee. This state is wonderful, and I would never go back north. And, no, I am not one of those transplants who vote for the same failed policies they left.
  
  Here’s my question regarding census data: is it just a coincidence that these states are more conservative? I refused to answer any questions on the census other than number of persons in the household. I believe that there are more than a few others in these states that did the same. Therefore, are these statistics valid?
  
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- sweetgold
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 5:57pm
  What????????????? An aside to GARDEN OF THE GODS. I worked there one summer in between college semesters.
  
  Report this comment
- bmwrider
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 6:05pm
  Honestly, is anyone surprised the 10 poorest states are solidly red?
  
  Report this comment
- Gerrymanderer
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 6:17pm
  To all you poor states: I know you hit up the feds for ‘entitlements’ , we feed you with our tax dollars, get off your asses and find work…. I say ‘DON’T TREAD ON ME!!!’
  
  Report this comment
- Salamander
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 7:22pm
  If they gave out 1/10 the welfare distribution of New York to the poverty stricken in these states, they’d probably be the wealthiest states in the Union!
  
  Report this comment
- kindling
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 7:54pm
  No. California is a beautiful place run by horrible people. It is the beauty that brought all the Libs…..HOLLYWOOD, LA, ILLEGALS and the HIPPIES of San Francisco. They have wrecked the state. I live in the mountains and pray with all my heart we are able to spilt California and free ourselves of those scmb bags.
  
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- Marylou7
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 7:56pm
  NC is my home and the financially poor people here don’t know how poor they are. People here are happy with what they can earn and most live within their means. It’s also hard to find people that don’t grow food of some kind for their families, I love my garden and love sharing it with friends. The cost of living is also very reasonable.
  
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- LiveNation
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 8:03pm
  That’s Dirt kick’n poor. Please stay away.
  
  Report this comment
- powhatan
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 10:36pm
  yes sir ree!
  
  Report this comment
- Detroit paperboy
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 11:37pm
  I agree we are no longer in a recession…..
  We are in a massive depresskon,
  Water. Rice And bullets….. Buy them
  
  Report this comment
- hi-polymer
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 11:59pm
  You said it. I’ve lived in CA. I’ll take the poverty
  .
  
  Report this comment
- Grey Eagle
  Posted on September 17, 2011 at 1:17am
  I lived in Kentucky for quite a few years. The people there are friendly, help each other and the state as a whole is family oriented. The problem seems be keeping the kids in school and learning a trade or going to college. The lack of good jobs is a problem in all of these states. They should learn from TX.
  
  Report this comment
- bunkerbeck
  Posted on September 17, 2011 at 2:30am
  WISEHINEY–WILL YOU TELL ME THE CITY YOU LIVE IN , JUST PRIVATELY AND I WON’T TELL. WE ARE MISPLACED FLORIDIANS WHO WANT TO BE BACK IN CIVILITY. PLEASE SHARE–WE HAVE GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE–MOSQUE JUST MOVED IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD… deborahjapp1@yahoo.com””’I just want to be back where people care about each other and get together and help–kinda like the Bible Belt I grew up in Miss.-can’t go back there now–just no jobs at all!! Thanks
  
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- Meyvn
  Posted on September 17, 2011 at 7:30am
  Ditto.
  
  Report this comment
- Alabama Rick
  Posted on September 17, 2011 at 9:20am
  It’s all about the cost of living. Some of these states rankings are brought down by a large number of people relying on the state for socialism.
  
  Report this comment
- starman70
  Posted on September 17, 2011 at 11:33am
  Or Washington D.C.
  
  Report this comment
- Bill Rowland
  Posted on September 17, 2011 at 3:56pm
  Daddy always told me that the quality of my life was more important that the quantity.
  I’d rather have quality in LA, MS, AL, TN than quantity in NY, CA ,MA, NJ, thank you.
  
  OMG- Psalm 109:8
  
  Report this comment
- Uriel
  Posted on September 18, 2011 at 10:59am
  @HIGHTIDE,
  Aside from the reasons that I think you said that. There’s also the fact that the COST OF LIVING is lower in these States. The Census Bureau is inappropriately comparing income in these States to a National AVERAGE poverty level that is arbitrarily determined. Poverty is one’s wealth (lack thereof) compared to the wealth of others and the COST OF LIVING.
  Someone making $22k in Montana may be doing just fine, whereas someone making twice that ($44k) but living in New York City is pretty well screwed.
  The reason you can’t compare incomes within a State to a National Average “Poverty Level” is that they’re determining that “Poverty Level” based on a National Average INCOME; and it is THESE STATES that pull the National Average Income down.
  
  This is an absurd report. Why do illegals come here from Mexico with no intent of becoming cintizens? Because if they make $15k for a few years, they (or their family) will become “well-to-do” with that money in Mexico; and they’d be dirt poor — WITH THE SAME MONEY — if they stay here.
  
  Report this comment
- stevekingg
  Posted on September 18, 2011 at 11:32am
  I currently live in California and just accepted a job in Louisiana. My new job pays $8k less than what I make now, but it is over $11k more than the median income of the state. According to 5 different cost of living calculators and our expenses in CA vs. LA, my family is set to have an 11% increase in expendable income when we move at the end of the month.
  
  Lower cost of living (11% lower)
  Lower tax rate (6% vs. 11.5%)
  Greater job opportunities for my wife (Unemployment is 5% in Shreveport vs. 20% in Victorville, CA)
  Health care is 7% less in Louisiana
  Food costs are 5% less
  Fuel and energy costs are 8% less.
  
  The business I am going to is making money (20% increase YTD vs. my current job which is 35% down Year-To-Date
  
  I have always preferred states that have lower costs of living, as what I do make goes farther…California is doomed. Last thing that I read was it will take 5 more years for this state to recover…if it isn’t allowed to default first.
  
  Report this comment
- csbulldog
  Posted on September 18, 2011 at 11:43am
  I wonder how poverty breaks down among single women with children and how many illegal aliens are counted. Those States seem to some of the highest illegal alien rates and women who choose to have children out of wedlock. Finishing school and marriage before children are two of the best things to do to ensure a decent life out of poverty.
  
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- sundance_sp
  Posted on September 18, 2011 at 3:33pm
  From someone in California, that’s a big 10/4! I would have escaped a long time ago if it werent for commitments here…. Although in few ways California is probably one of the places to be (if you love nature) it is a sinking ship with no sign of recovery with liberal lunatics running the joint, and it’s only going to get worse here. Sad, very sad especially considering this is the state that gave us Reagan.
  
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- JustPeachy
  Posted on September 18, 2011 at 3:58pm
  Do they take into consideration the differences also regarding the cost of living?!?
  
  Money goes a lot further in some of these states than it does say in New York or California! So the income doesn’t NEED to be as high.
  
  Everything is relative–and I agree–neighborhoods, people, beautiful land, etc.–can be much better than a higher income in concrete, cold places and/or where perhaps more loonies live. ;-)
  
  Report this comment
- bum
  Posted on September 19, 2011 at 12:00pm
  i live in Alabama and i own 3 houses and six cars! everything here is markedly cheaper. My property tax on my 3000 square foot home is 220 a YEAR! Hopefully stupid libs won’t figure out what a great piece of America we have here!
  
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- jtorres1212
  Posted on September 19, 2011 at 12:43pm
  I live in Louisiana and while I know that it is considered a poor state, I think alot of that poverty comes from laziness. There are jobs available but people do not want to give up their free government entitlements. After Katrina, we needed so many workers but no one wanted to work. Only hispanics came in to do the work. Say what you want about them, but they are very hard workers. My husband and I both work and we live in a pretty large home on the golf course. Not too bad!
  
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- rightwingheroes
  Posted on September 19, 2011 at 1:50pm
  and I will bet that the people of these states are content…..money isn’t everything…
  
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- izzy1127
  Posted on September 19, 2011 at 5:26pm
  @comgraphics: I hope you remember to vote on what you ran away from. That’s a common problem in North Carolina. People migrate here for the cost of living and way of life, however, they forget to vote against what they left behind. Liberals are fleeing liberal states but still voting the bastards in office. How stupid can people be? But I’m sure “com” has it together and will help keep SC red. Welcome to the Carolinas………
  
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Obama_Sham
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:12pm
The saddest fact is how many people can point out these states when given a map of the U.S.?!? Point being, education / intelligence is the greatest champion against poverty…

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- TennesseeConservative
  Posted on September 17, 2011 at 11:55am
  Funny thing is, we think the rest of you are the poor ones.
  
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- vennoye
  Posted on September 17, 2011 at 9:50pm
  Lived in the northeast several years………love the trees in autumn, but I always came home to Texas. Have visited all of these “poor” states and thought the culture and the people there were great!! Certainly would not choose northeast over the southeast!!
  
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GhostOfJefferson
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:11pm
I don’t know about the other states, but Montana is a desolate, but beautiful, place with a sparse population. They don’t have as many “needs” as most other people do (same as Wyoming). Even the note in the article states that outside of the “low income” they have no other “poverty” markers. So that means, if I understand it correctly, that they may only make X dollars per year, but their local economy is geared towards that and people are comfortable. Add in you wear a gun on your hip and people are friendly and it sounds practically like heaven to me.

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- Roseanna
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:38pm
  Amen!
  
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- Ceel Abby
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 3:02pm
  I moved to Montana 15 years ago and lost half of annual income in doing so. But did not regret it one bit. We do not have the problems most of you have in the rest of the country. Low taxes, very little crime, high mountains, beautiful streams, lucious meadows and frendly, honest people. We are not participating in the current reccesion. Nor do we trust the annoited one and the rest of his ilk. God Save America.
  
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- Viet Vet
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 4:53pm
  @Ceel Abby
  
  Yeah, I was wondering about this median income, is that before or after taxes? Net income is what counts. It apparently is adjusted for inflation, but if it doesn’t use net income figures, then the comparison’s don’t mean much, at least where median income is concerned.
  
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- bread and circuses
  Posted on September 17, 2011 at 8:11am
  @VIETVET, the income numbers are GROSS, not NET
  
  My questions are: Who decides what the poverty rate is, why does the inflation rate exclude fuel and food prices, why does the unemployment rate exclude ppl who have given up looking ?
  
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- zman173rd
  Posted on September 17, 2011 at 12:00pm
  Moved to Montana about 6 years ago from Colorado. They got californicated. I think some of those statistics have to do with the native american population. Although we do have one of the highest teen suicide rates in the U.S. and a lot of that has to do with drugs and again it is the native american population that contributes to both. I haven’t had a raise in 5 years so in fact my income has dropped if you consider inflation and all that goes with it. But I’m here to stay. As for being a “RED state”, we BARELY missed voting in BARRY. Way too many government employees in this state.
  
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Texas Conservative
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:10pm
Four out of ten states on this list are also among the top ten states with the LOWEST cost of living. In areas where the cost of living is lower, wages are usually lower, too. Go figure, the free market works…
Not really surprised by this list, but not really sure that it has much meaning, either.

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- The_Almighty_Creestof
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:23pm
  It speaks volumes of how they may need to return to the old days, where several generations lived in the same home, built their wealth, sent several to college and/or vocational schools. The old saying “two can live as cheaply as one”…may have to make a comeback.
  
  I have to wonder how many family members live withing 30-60 minutes of each other and are on the brink of poverty…where if they pooled their resources they could begin the climb back up to solvency.
  
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- AlansTigg
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:35pm
  don’t go confusing the issue with logic tex
  
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- Deb C
  Posted on September 18, 2011 at 8:25am
  Between drought, floods and hurricanes….I’ll stay closer to the great lakes…but thanks anyways
  
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encinom
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:05pm
10 poorest, all “right to (not)work” states.

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- This_Individual
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:11pm
  That has nothing to do with it.
  
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- rangerp
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:12pm
  @ENCINOM
  
  If you like statistics, check the population and see what the minority numbers are in these states. See how many of these minorities have the genetic trait of sucking up welfare (some 3rd generation).
  
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- Obama_Sham
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:13pm
  Here is a perfect example of basement troll that cannot point these states out on a U.S. map…
  
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- GhostOfJefferson
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:13pm
  Perhaps, and with tax rates that are negligible compared to your “rich” states. I’d rather make $50k in Montana than $100k in New York. I’ve live a much better and more comfortable life. :)
  
  I know you won’t answer back Enicom, your posting is only of the hit and run variety.
  
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- Fed up in Bama
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:15pm
  AND……..we live better and are happier than anyone in CA or NY making $200,000.
  
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- wisehiney
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:15pm
  NC, TN, KY AND WV were in the top 10 fastest growing states last year. Why don’t you arseholes stop coming?
  
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- broker0101
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:25pm
  Please, ENC, tell us what the “correct” medium income is? You know; too high and it is evidence of Greedy, Evil Conservatism and too low, it is evidence of evidence of repression and unfair labor laws created by Greedy, Evil Conservatives. So, what medium income is “just right” and evidence of the prefect application of liberalism?
  
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- RenoSD
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:26pm
  All these States, except Montana…fought to keep slavery during the civil war. So it would seem to indicate larger numbers of minorities in these States…all of whom have been victims of the Dems giving them fish…rather then teaching them to fish!
  
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- broker0101
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:41pm
  “Medium” income (twice). Brilliant!!!!!! Between that and mistaken repetition, that last post may be the single worst ever.
  
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- mtcountrygrl
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 4:02pm
  Actually Montana is NOT a right to work state. Sorry! A point made previously is that the income is low but so is the cost of living. This is soooooo true (except when it comes to housing in Montana – too many Left Coast people retire here and drive up the cost). This story says nothing about how people live in the state just that they make less money. For instance Montana has no sales tax, Gas is lower here than the rest of the country and we hunt, fish and grow most of our food.
  
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- OKLAPatriot
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 4:24pm
  I hate to say this….might sound racist, and I’m NOT, but it looks like the reconstruction era is still going on in the Southern states. You KNOW that there are a very high percentage of “freed” folks in those States.
  
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- 8fishpimp8
  Posted on September 17, 2011 at 10:10am
  I see a lot of retirees moving from your mobbed up closed shop states….Why don’t they want to retire in the civic panacea that is the rust belt?
  
  I’ll trade you a pocket knife for that brick rancher in Detroit…..no wait….I’ll keep the knife.
  
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- muzikant
  Posted on September 19, 2011 at 11:02pm
  All right to work states are states with the lowest cost of living. I live in beautiful Union County, North Carolina (southeast of Charlotte), make $32,000 a year. Family of 4, planning a 3rd child. My wife is a stay-at-home mom, and we have plenty extra money saved up every month. Lower cost of living – because it is a Red right-to-work State. We get by just fine. Never want to trade it back for Sacramento, CA. The unions and libs haven’t taken over here.
  By the way, Union County, NC is the 16th most conservative county in the USA.
  http://dailycaller.com/2010/03/19/americas-top-20-conservative-friendly-counties/
  
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FaithfulFriend
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:05pm
I guess you could always make a lot more and then have to give it to just give it to the state in a state income tax, which many of these don’t have. The fact is 42k in Alabama gets you a whole lot more lifestyle than it does in California or New York. 100k income in the south gets you a million dollar NY lifestyle.

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- Plan B
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:16pm
  I am planning to retire in Alabama. The state has no real estate tax for residents over the age of 65
  
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- RighteousTyrant
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:22pm
  Simply wrong. All of these states have some level of state income tax, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_income_tax
  
  Cost of living is important, too, though, and it would be interesting to see a study that accounts for that as well as just nominal income.
  
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- ITGuy
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:31pm
  I live in Arkansas, and if was making the median income i would living the high life. Even a guy like me that makes a little more than half that is doing good. I have a kid that wants for nothing, everything i have is paid for except the car (almost), I put food on the table, all my bills are paid. Being poor in arkansas means something completely different than it does in NY.
  
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- cgizzy
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 4:16pm
  My mom just moved back from england and got a job as the assistant manager of a restaurant (in Michigan no less, where the unemployement rate is high). She makes the same amount as I do, 30k a year. She did the math, even with raising my sister, paying for my stepdads greencard and work visa (he is english) and paying off her home which she just bought, and her car which she just bought, and everything else, she’ll still be able to save about 15-20% of her income each year. And after taxes, she makes more than I do living in NYC.
  
  I did the math once and If I had continued to live in Michigan and some how found a job, and made the 30k I make now. I would have been able to pay off my student loans by the end of the year and still be able to live in my own place, have my own car, and probably afford nice things. As it is, I’m lucky if I can save 100-200 dollars every month after taxes and bills.
  
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countryfirst
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:04pm
After seeing this report, the President said only 47 more states to go. (fundamentally changing of America)

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- Fly Old Glory 24/7 365
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 5:21pm
  ahhhhhhh, that is good…..yep, 57 states……good ole BHO, he one smart feller…it’s almost like he was born in another country or something…
  
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- starman70
  Posted on September 17, 2011 at 11:38am
  @FLY OLD GLORY
  
  Wasn’t he?
  
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JLGunner
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:04pm
Which one of those states has the most illegals living amongst them?

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kickagrandma
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:01pm
Wouldn’t trade States of places with any of those not on the list. We are so blessed to live in the South!

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- rangerp
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:09pm
  Interesting to know that in each of the poorest southern states, the poorest population, is also the fattest.
  
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- RighteousTyrant
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:23pm
  Poor people can afford McDonald’s!
  
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- StripedSaint
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:24pm
  Ranger, I hope you know why that is. It has nothing to do with the government.
  
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- rangerp
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:33pm
  @StripedSaint
  It has to do with government run socialist programs put in place by democrats (especially LBJ). They get folks on the system, and they do not get off (very few do).
  
  They suck up the food stamps, federal housing, welfare, free lunch…. they sit up in the projects, watching Jerry on the big screen, wearing the high dollar nikes, and the gold bling-bling, driving the car with the most expensive rims, eating fast food. Not working and excessive eating leads to a fat butt and ignorant mind.
  
  poor people in other parts of the world are thin. They eat dry beans and rice. They do not have a plastic card that will buy them T-bone steaks, coke, ho-hoes, cheese doodles…. And do not think Tomika does not use the little plastic card to buy steak, then trade it for beer and smokes.
  
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- Clive
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:48pm
  yep, gross fat people, high rate of illiteracy, low wages… whats not to love.
  
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- Cat
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 5:14pm
  …
  Be watchful, those of you living in the southern states mentioned in this tread.
  Enjoy what you have now, because the liberals from the northeast will move in and ruin everything around you.
  Florida was a bug infested swamp, with lots of blue elephants and few red donkeys when I was born.
  (Look it up – Republican use to be blue elephants, and Democrats red donkeys)
  50 years ago, things began to change.
  At 25, I didn’t recognize the place that taught me more about life than any schoolhouse.
  The liberals from the northeast moved in, and not only destroyed the real estate, they infiltrated the government at all levels and messed things up to a fair-thee-well.
  Granted, there are pockets here and there, but in general, Florida is not anywhere near as beautiful as it once was.
  In the 2008 general election, Florida went jackass blue (see above).
  
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fcbs46
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 1:59pm
reduced cost lunches is a phony stat. Almost all of these states do not have a means testing for reduced cost lunches. In my wife’s school here in Nevada (a low income area school) many of the free lunches are to families of good income (60, 70,000 a year or above) they(the school) don’t ask and don’t tell about income levels. So forget about using it as a measure of poorness on the part of the people and it’s getting worst many of the left want free lunches for all the kids. Parents can’t raise their kids so the school (government) must. People are lazy so yeah go ahead and feed my kid I don’t want him(her) to be different and the government saves me money.
You pay in Taxes dope. Laziness strikes again.

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tankyjo
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 1:59pm
By design.

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DanWesson455
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 1:58pm
Ya, but you don’t hear a lot of whining coming from those States like California, Michigan, New York or Mass. They just keep on truckin along making do for themselves.

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- rangerp
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:36pm
  @Danwesson455
  
  Correct, and we keep voting republican, and do not want the unions from up in yankee land down here.
  
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OnlytheTruthMatters
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 1:57pm
Compare the income to the cost of living plus taxes and you may see some changes in who is really poor.

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- CatB
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:14pm
  I agree ..
  
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RightPolitically
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 1:53pm
Bad news.

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- dan@AL
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:03pm
  But you also have to look at what $40,000 in Alabama is equal to in many “wealthier states”! Also to be honest there are very few POOR people in America, By poor I mean, no food, no roof, no job (not to lazy to work) Poor is not having only 1 big screen TV
  
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KingDork
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 1:52pm
if you count all the poor “middle class” over here in california that have to pay the richer “poor class” then you might add cali to that list. Swear I am tired of seeing all those living on welfare here with brand new cars while we struggle to get a 15+ year old car to keep going.

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E_PLURIS_LUX
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 1:52pm
Can I please see this recalculated, after dividing the amount of debt each state has by the number of employed citizens. I’ll bet good money these float skyward.

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thomas1946
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 1:52pm
please note that I live in Ms. yeah we have poh people (yes i spelled that that way) and we have low income but guess what? it’s a dang site better than the “rich” yankee states who are going down fast. we are staying the same. poh but the same.

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- bhelmet
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:02pm
  With ya – Arky boy myself – rather be here than in Northeast (where I was born)
  
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thegreatcarnac
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 1:49pm
Except for a few…these states find themselves in this predicament because they have a large percentage of minorities….need I say more.

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- proliance
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 4:20pm
  Please continue.
  
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- bernbart
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 6:18pm
  They are also the states which kept their populations enslaved, had Jim Crow laws and discriminaton in education and housing and jobs well into the 60s.
  
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Lloyd Drako
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 1:49pm
Hmmmmm. . . .

All low-tax, right-to-work states which keep gummint to a minumum and are chockablock with people, um, clinging to their God and their guns. Just sayin’.

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- GhostOfJefferson
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:16pm
  And $40,000 in a low to no tax state goes a whole hell of a lot further than $120k in New York or New Jersey.
  
  Just sayin’.
  
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- No Race Is Superior
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:31pm
  Desparate for a comment huh LLoyd. Ok there you go!.
  
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- howiseeit
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:38pm
  you must be from a right- to -be- stupid state. West Virginia has been handcuffed by the Unions in coal mining , steel, chemicals,not to mention teachers and government unions, Dems one and all, for as long as anyone can remember. If the unions aren’t shooting themeselves in the foot by driving businees out., then the EPA does it with regulations. And all points back to democrat policys. Sometimes information is key to an informed comment.
  
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- Lloyd Drako
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 3:43pm
  Also: all states that exercised their putative right to secede and got the beating they deserved for it, (except for WV and MT which were not yet states in 1861).
  
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mikenleeds
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 1:48pm
i live in Alabama and we are no poorer than anywhere else ,, this post is very misleading because the cost of living in the south is much cheaper than the rest of the country so it s true people here makes less but we have a good standard of living , i ve been all over this country and i ve seen many ,many poorer places than sweet home Alabama

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Locked
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 1:48pm
If the south is hoping to rise again, they’ve got a ways to go. Also, lulz, Montana.

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- Fed up in Bama
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:18pm
  $42,000 in the South is a good decent living and they are armed to the teeth. Don’t count em out.
  
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- Locked
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 4:16pm
  $42,000 for an entire household? It’s not terrible; the poverty line is a bit over $22,000; but it’s not a good amount either if you have some kids as well. These states also almost universally have incredibly high poverty rates (which are also spoken of in their blurbs). Incidentally, the only state on this list that isn’t in the top 13 for highest poverty is the only one not in the South: Montana.
  
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- Fed up in Bama
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 4:55pm
  And the cost of living is low…………..WHY $42,000 isn’t so bad. We can purchase a 3 bdrm, 2 bath for less than $100,000. A NICE home. The price of the same property, say in CA, would cost you 1.3 million. Continue not to ‘knock’ the south!!!!!
  
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Mandors
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 1:47pm
Well, if you’re talking “spiritually” poor, list would look like this:

5.Massachusetts
4.Connecticut
3.California
2.New York
1.New Jersey*

Now for intellectually poor, that would be, uh wait… it’s the same.

*The District of Columbia would be number one, but it isn’t a state.

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- mikenleeds
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 1:53pm
  AMEN BROTHER … the bible belt is the best part of America
  
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- Sjah
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 1:59pm
  I’d put conn at 6 and put Maryland in at 4
  
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- BLEMON01
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 9:14pm
  Central Maryland. Western Maryland is red.
  
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- teacherskj
  Posted on September 17, 2011 at 11:46am
  So true. I have lived in both South and North Carolina. Odd how those places are in a much more utopian league than here in what the socialists long for in Chicago. There are whole cultures here that are wonderful but others that clog the city with crime, litter, welfare entitlements and a socialistic philosophy of life. All you have to do is drive around and soon you see the Indian reservation-like areas caused by government handouts and redistribution of wealth. I never saw the magnitude of any of that in North or South Carolina. Now which ones are really the poorest?
  
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RighteousTyrant
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 1:47pm
aMostly red states, right?

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- givemelibertyorgivemedeath
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 1:52pm
  what are you implying?
  
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- RighteousTyrant
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 1:57pm
  Just asking a question, but you can infer whatever you like from that.
  
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- Capitalist Mama
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 2:18pm
  Also states with lowest cost of living and low taxes. $40k in Al or Miss is easy living. It’s all relative.
  
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Tickdog
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 1:45pm
Don’t worry. the rest of the states are catching up thanks to Obuma!

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TH30PH1LUS
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 1:44pm
This link http://mercatus.org/sites/default/files/publication/Freedom_in_the_50_States.pdf

Is to a PDF printable version of a study on our Personal & Economic LIBERTY in a State-by-State comparison. Please consider reading it, and informing yourself about what’s happening…

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- jcizarter
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 5:11pm
  Thank you for this great link!
  
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- calijohn
  Posted on September 16, 2011 at 5:48pm
  very interesting, especially the segment on california.
  the article isn’t all sweetness and light for the south.
  it is worth a read.
  
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