US states by poverty rate

Name: US states by poverty rate, 2018
Creator: U.S. Census Bureau
License: Public domain (US federal government work, citation requested)

Mississippi had the highest poverty rate of 51 states in 2018, at 19.8%. New Hampshire had the lowest, at 7.6%. The median was 12.8% and the figure for the United States was 13.1%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest19.8Mississippi

Lowest7.6New Hampshire

Median12.851 states

United States13.1History

All states, 2018

CSV Chart (SVG)

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

Full ranking

Rank	States	2018 (%)	Change on 2017
1	Mississippi	19.8	-0.1 pts
2	New Mexico	18.8	-0.2 pts
3	Louisiana	18.7	-0.9 pts
4	West Virginia	17.4	-1.1 pts
5	Alabama	16.8	-0.1 pts
5	Arkansas	16.8	+0.5 pts
7	Kentucky	16.7	-0.4 pts
8	District of Columbia	16.1	-0.5 pts
9	Oklahoma	15.5	-0.3 pts
10	South Carolina	15.2	-0.2 pts
10	Tennessee	15.2	+0.2 pts
12	Texas	14.9	+0.2 pts
13	Georgia	14.5	-0.6 pts
14	Arizona	14.1	-0.8 pts
14	North Carolina	14.1	-0.6 pts
16	Michigan	14	-0.1 pts
17	Ohio	13.8	-0.1 pts
18	Florida	13.7	-0.4 pts
18	New York	13.7	-0.4 pts
20	Missouri	13.2	-0.2 pts
21	Nevada	13.1	-0.2 pts
22	Indiana	13	-0.3 pts
23	Montana	12.9	+0.2 pts
23	South Dakota	12.9	+0.1 pts
25	California	12.8	-0.5 pts
25	Rhode Island	12.8	+0.5 pts
27	Oregon	12.5	-0.7 pts
28	Delaware	12.2	-0.8 pts
28	Pennsylvania	12.2	-0.3 pts
30	Illinois	12.1	-0.4 pts
31	Kansas	11.9	0 pts
32	Idaho	11.7	-0.9 pts
33	Maine	11.6	+0.3 pts
34	Iowa	11.2	+0.4 pts
35	Alaska	11.1	+0.1 pts
35	Wisconsin	11.1	-0.2 pts
37	Nebraska	11	+0.3 pts
38	Vermont	10.7	-0.1 pts
38	Virginia	10.7	0 pts
38	Wyoming	10.7	-0.1 pts
41	North Dakota	10.6	+0.4 pts
42	Connecticut	10.3	+0.6 pts
42	Washington	10.3	-0.7 pts
44	Massachusetts	10	-0.5 pts
45	Colorado	9.7	-0.6 pts
46	Minnesota	9.6	+0.1 pts
47	New Jersey	9.5	-0.5 pts
48	Maryland	9.1	-0.3 pts
48	Utah	9.1	-0.6 pts
50	Hawaii	9	-0.5 pts
51	New Hampshire	7.6	-0.1 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/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.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?

Mississippi, with 19.8% in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest poverty rate?

New Hampshire, with 7.6% in 2018.

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.