US states by poverty rate

Name: US states by poverty rate, 2023
Creator: U.S. Census Bureau
License: Public domain (US federal government work, citation requested)

Louisiana had the highest poverty rate of 51 states in 2023, at 18.9%. New Hampshire had the lowest, at 7.3%. The median was 11.8% and the figure for the United States was 12.5%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest18.9Louisiana

Lowest7.3New Hampshire

Median11.851 states

United States12.5History

All states, 2023

CSV Chart (SVG)

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

Full ranking

Rank	States	2023 (%)	Change on 2022
1	Louisiana	18.9	+0.3 pts
2	Mississippi	18.3	-0.9 pts
3	New Mexico	16.9	-0.4 pts
4	West Virginia	16.4	-1 pts
5	Kentucky	16.1	-0.2 pts
6	Oklahoma	15.8	+0.2 pts
7	Alabama	15.7	-0.5 pts
8	Arkansas	15.4	-0.9 pts
9	District of Columbia	15.2	+1 pts
10	New York	14.1	-0.1 pts
11	South Carolina	13.9	-0.1 pts
12	Tennessee	13.8	+0.5 pts
13	Georgia	13.7	+0.8 pts
13	Texas	13.7	-0.3 pts
15	Michigan	13.5	+0.2 pts
16	Ohio	13.2	-0.2 pts
17	North Carolina	12.8	0 pts
18	Arizona	12.6	+0.1 pts
19	Florida	12.4	-0.3 pts
20	Indiana	12.2	-0.3 pts
20	Nevada	12.2	-0.4 pts
22	Oregon	12.1	+0.1 pts
23	California	12	-0.2 pts
23	Missouri	12	-1.1 pts
25	Pennsylvania	11.9	+0.1 pts
26	Montana	11.8	0 pts
27	Illinois	11.6	-0.3 pts
28	Rhode Island	11.4	+0.2 pts
28	South Dakota	11.4	-1 pts
30	Kansas	11.2	-0.7 pts
31	Iowa	11.1	+0.1 pts
32	Delaware	10.8	+0.8 pts
33	Wisconsin	10.6	-0.2 pts
34	Alaska	10.5	-0.3 pts
34	Maine	10.5	-0.4 pts
34	Massachusetts	10.5	+0.1 pts
37	Wyoming	10.4	-0.8 pts
38	Washington	10.3	+0.3 pts
39	Connecticut	10.2	+0.4 pts
39	Hawaii	10.2	+0.2 pts
39	Nebraska	10.2	-0.9 pts
39	Virginia	10.2	-0.4 pts
43	Idaho	10.1	-0.4 pts
44	North Dakota	10	-1.2 pts
45	Vermont	9.9	-0.3 pts
46	Maryland	9.7	-0.1 pts
46	New Jersey	9.7	0 pts
48	Colorado	9.4	-0.1 pts
49	Minnesota	9.2	-0.4 pts
50	Utah	9	+0.7 pts
51	New Hampshire	7.3	-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/2023/2023-state-and-county/est23all.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 18.9% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest poverty rate?

New Hampshire, with 7.3% in 2023.

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.