US states by poverty rate, 2024

Name: US states by poverty rate, 2024
Creator: U.S. Census Bureau
License: Public domain (US federal government work, citation requested)

Louisiana had the highest poverty rate of 51 states in 2024, at 18.6%. New Hampshire had the lowest, at 7.3%. The median was 11.6% and the figure for the United States was 12.1%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest18.6Louisiana

Lowest7.3New Hampshire

Median11.651 states

United States12.1History

All states, 2024

CSV Chart (SVG)

%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

Rank	States	2024 (%)	Change on 2023
1	Louisiana	18.6	-0.3 pts
2	Mississippi	17.8	-0.5 pts
3	District of Columbia	16.4	+1.2 pts
4	West Virginia	16.2	-0.2 pts
5	New Mexico	15.8	-1.1 pts
6	Kentucky	15.4	-0.7 pts
7	Arkansas	15.3	-0.1 pts
8	Alabama	15.2	-0.5 pts
9	Oklahoma	14.8	-1 pts
10	New York	14	-0.1 pts
11	Michigan	13.4	-0.1 pts
11	Texas	13.4	-0.3 pts
13	South Carolina	13.3	-0.6 pts
13	Tennessee	13.3	-0.5 pts
15	Georgia	12.8	-0.9 pts
16	North Carolina	12.6	-0.2 pts
16	Ohio	12.6	-0.6 pts
18	Missouri	12.2	+0.2 pts
19	Florida	12.1	-0.3 pts
19	Indiana	12.1	-0.1 pts
21	Rhode Island	12	+0.6 pts
22	Arizona	11.9	-0.7 pts
23	California	11.8	-0.2 pts
23	Nevada	11.8	-0.4 pts
25	Oregon	11.7	-0.4 pts
26	Pennsylvania	11.6	-0.3 pts
27	Illinois	11.5	-0.1 pts
28	Iowa	11.2	+0.1 pts
29	Kansas	10.9	-0.3 pts
30	North Dakota	10.8	+0.8 pts
31	Maine	10.6	+0.1 pts
31	Nebraska	10.6	+0.4 pts
33	South Dakota	10.5	-0.9 pts
34	Idaho	10.4	+0.3 pts
34	Montana	10.4	-1.4 pts
36	Alaska	10.3	-0.2 pts
36	Wisconsin	10.3	-0.3 pts
38	Connecticut	10.1	-0.1 pts
38	Delaware	10.1	-0.7 pts
40	Hawaii	10	-0.2 pts
40	Washington	10	-0.3 pts
40	Wyoming	10	-0.4 pts
43	Massachusetts	9.8	-0.7 pts
43	Virginia	9.8	-0.4 pts
45	Colorado	9.6	+0.2 pts
46	Minnesota	9.3	+0.1 pts
46	Vermont	9.3	-0.6 pts
48	Maryland	9.2	-0.5 pts
48	New Jersey	9.2	-0.5 pts
50	Utah	8.4	-0.6 pts
51	New Hampshire	7.3	0 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People living in families or alone with income below the official US poverty thresholds, as a percentage of people whose poverty status can be determined. United States: Census Bureau Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), all ages.

Absolute thresholds set by the US government, so not comparable with the EU at_risk_of_poverty_rate.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people of all ages in poverty, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2024/2024-state-and-county/est24all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Rank US states by poverty rate using official data, and cite the source.

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Questions

Which state has the highest poverty rate?

Louisiana, with 18.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest poverty rate?

New Hampshire, with 7.3% in 2024.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people of all ages in poverty, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-08.