Data / Rankings / Poverty rate (US official measure) / US states

US states by poverty rate

Mississippi had the highest poverty rate of 51 states in 2016, at 21%. New Hampshire had the lowest, at 7.6%. The median was 13.4% and the figure for the United States was 14%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest21Mississippi
Lowest7.6New Hampshire
Median13.451 states
United States14History

All states, 2016

CSVChart (SVG)

MississippiMississippi: 21 %21LouisianaLouisiana: 20.1 %20.1New MexicoNew Mexico: 19.1 %19.1District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia: 18.5 %18.5KentuckyKentucky: 18.2 %18.2West VirginiaWest Virginia: 17.9 %17.9AlabamaAlabama: 17.2 %17.2ArkansasArkansas: 17.2 %17.2ArizonaArizona: 16.4 %16.4GeorgiaGeorgia: 16.1 %16.1OklahomaOklahoma: 16.1 %16.1TennesseeTennessee: 15.8 %15.8TexasTexas: 15.6 %15.6North CarolinaNorth Carolina: 15.4 %15.4South CarolinaSouth Carolina: 15.3 %15.3MichiganMichigan: 14.9 %14.9FloridaFlorida: 14.8 %14.8New YorkNew York: 14.8 %14.8OhioOhio: 14.5 %14.5CaliforniaCalifornia: 14.4 %14.4NevadaNevada: 14.1 %14.1IndianaIndiana: 14 %14MissouriMissouri: 14 %14IdahoIdaho: 13.8 %13.8MontanaMontana: 13.4 %13.4OregonOregon: 13.4 %13.4Rhode IslandRhode Island: 13.3 %13.3IllinoisIllinois: 13 %13PennsylvaniaPennsylvania: 12.9 %12.9South DakotaSouth Dakota: 12.9 %12.9MaineMaine: 12.3 %12.3KansasKansas: 12.2 %12.2DelawareDelaware: 11.8 %11.8WisconsinWisconsin: 11.8 %11.8IowaIowa: 11.7 %11.7NebraskaNebraska: 11.3 %11.3VermontVermont: 11.3 %11.3WashingtonWashington: 11.3 %11.3ColoradoColorado: 11 %11VirginiaVirginia: 11 %11WyomingWyoming: 10.9 %10.9MassachusettsMassachusetts: 10.5 %10.5North DakotaNorth Dakota: 10.5 %10.5New JerseyNew Jersey: 10.4 %10.4UtahUtah: 10.2 %10.2AlaskaAlaska: 9.9 %9.9ConnecticutConnecticut: 9.9 %9.9MinnesotaMinnesota: 9.9 %9.9MarylandMaryland: 9.7 %9.7HawaiiHawaii: 9.5 %9.5New HampshireNew Hampshire: 7.6 %7.6
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankStates2016 (%)Change on 2015
1Mississippi21-1.1 pts
2Louisiana20.1+0.6 pts
3New Mexico19.1-0.7 pts
4District of Columbia18.5+0.8 pts
5Kentucky18.2-0.1 pts
6West Virginia17.9-0.1 pts
7Alabama17.2-1.3 pts
7Arkansas17.2-1.5 pts
9Arizona16.4-1 pts
10Georgia16.1-1.1 pts
10Oklahoma16.1+0.1 pts
12Tennessee15.8-0.9 pts
13Texas15.6-0.3 pts
14North Carolina15.4-1 pts
15South Carolina15.3-1.5 pts
16Michigan14.9-0.8 pts
17Florida14.8-1 pts
17New York14.8-0.7 pts
19Ohio14.5-0.3 pts
20California14.4-1 pts
21Nevada14.1-0.8 pts
22Indiana14-0.4 pts
22Missouri14-0.8 pts
24Idaho13.8-0.9 pts
25Montana13.4-1 pts
25Oregon13.4-1.8 pts
27Rhode Island13.3-0.8 pts
28Illinois13-0.6 pts
29Pennsylvania12.9-0.2 pts
29South Dakota12.9-0.6 pts
31Maine12.3-0.9 pts
32Kansas12.2-0.7 pts
33Delaware11.8-0.8 pts
33Wisconsin11.8-0.3 pts
35Iowa11.7-0.4 pts
36Nebraska11.3-0.9 pts
36Vermont11.3+0.9 pts
36Washington11.3-0.9 pts
39Colorado11-0.5 pts
39Virginia11-0.2 pts
41Wyoming10.9+0.3 pts
42Massachusetts10.5-1 pts
42North Dakota10.5-0.2 pts
44New Jersey10.4-0.4 pts
45Utah10.2-1 pts
46Alaska9.9-0.5 pts
46Connecticut9.9-0.7 pts
46Minnesota9.9-0.3 pts
49Maryland9.7-0.2 pts
50Hawaii9.5-1.2 pts
51New Hampshire7.6-0.8 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/2016/2016-state-and-county/est16all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank US states by poverty rate using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"poverty_rate","level":"region","within":"United States","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=poverty_rate&level=region&within=United%20States&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which state has the highest poverty rate?

Mississippi, with 21% in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest poverty rate?

New Hampshire, with 7.6% in 2016.

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.

Poverty rate (US official measure): other rankings

US states: more rankings