Data / Rankings / Poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate) / US states

US states by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024

Louisiana had the highest poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 51 states in 2024, 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.

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Highest18.9Louisiana
Lowest7.3New Hampshire
Median11.851 states
United States12.5History

Map of states, 2024

Alabama: 15.6 %Alaska: 10.1 %Arizona: 12.5 %Arkansas: 16 %California: 12 %Colorado: 9.4 %Connecticut: 10 %Delaware: 10.4 %District of Columbia: 15.4 %Florida: 12.6 %Georgia: 13.4 %Hawaii: 10 %Idaho: 10.6 %Illinois: 11.8 %Indiana: 12.3 %Iowa: 11.1 %Kansas: 11.3 %Kentucky: 16.1 %Louisiana: 18.9 %Maine: 10.8 %Maryland: 9.5 %Massachusetts: 10 %Michigan: 13.2 %Minnesota: 9.3 %Mississippi: 18.9 %Missouri: 12.6 %Montana: 11.5 %Nebraska: 10.6 %Nevada: 12.4 %New Hampshire: 7.3 %New Jersey: 9.7 %New Mexico: 17.8 %New York: 14 %North Carolina: 13 %North Dakota: 10.8 %Ohio: 13.3 %Oklahoma: 15.3 %Oregon: 11.9 %Pennsylvania: 11.7 %Rhode Island: 11.2 %South Carolina: 14.1 %South Dakota: 11.9 %Tennessee: 13.8 %Texas: 13.8 %Utah: 8.5 %Vermont: 10.1 %Virginia: 9.9 %Washington: 9.9 %West Virginia: 16.7 %Wisconsin: 10.6 %Wyoming: 10.5 %
  • Under 10
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  • 13 to 15
  • 15 and over
%, 2024. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2024

Louisiana: 18.9 %Louisiana18.9Mississippi: 18.9 %Mississippi18.9New Mexico: 17.8 %New Mexico17.8West Virginia: 16.7 %West Virginia16.7Kentucky: 16.1 %Kentucky16.1Arkansas: 16 %Arkansas16Alabama: 15.6 %Alabama15.6District of Columbia: 15.4 %District of Columbia15.4Oklahoma: 15.3 %Oklahoma15.3South Carolina: 14.1 %South Carolina14.1New York: 14 %New York14Texas: 13.8 %Texas13.8Tennessee: 13.8 %Tennessee13.8Georgia: 13.4 %Georgia13.4Ohio: 13.3 %Ohio13.3Michigan: 13.2 %Michigan13.2North Carolina: 13 %North Carolina13Missouri: 12.6 %Missouri12.6Florida: 12.6 %Florida12.6Arizona: 12.5 %Arizona12.5Nevada: 12.4 %Nevada12.4Indiana: 12.3 %Indiana12.3California: 12 %California12Oregon: 11.9 %Oregon11.9South Dakota: 11.9 %South Dakota11.9Illinois: 11.8 %Illinois11.8Pennsylvania: 11.7 %Pennsylvania11.7Montana: 11.5 %Montana11.5Kansas: 11.3 %Kansas11.3Rhode Island: 11.2 %Rhode Island11.2Iowa: 11.1 %Iowa11.1North Dakota: 10.8 %North Dakota10.8Maine: 10.8 %Maine10.8Nebraska: 10.6 %Nebraska10.6Idaho: 10.6 %Idaho10.6Wisconsin: 10.6 %Wisconsin10.6Wyoming: 10.5 %Wyoming10.5Delaware: 10.4 %Delaware10.4Alaska: 10.1 %Alaska10.1Vermont: 10.1 %Vermont10.1Hawaii: 10 %Hawaii10Massachusetts: 10 %Massachusetts10Connecticut: 10 %Connecticut10Washington: 9.9 %Washington9.9Virginia: 9.9 %Virginia9.9New Jersey: 9.7 %New Jersey9.7Maryland: 9.5 %Maryland9.5Colorado: 9.4 %Colorado9.4Minnesota: 9.3 %Minnesota9.3Utah: 8.5 %Utah8.5New Hampshire: 7.3 %New Hampshire7.3Louisiana: 18.9 %Louisiana18.9Mississippi: 18.9 %Mississippi18.9New Mexico: 17.8 %New Mexico17.8West Virginia: 16.7 %West Virginia16.7Kentucky: 16.1 %Kentucky16.1Arkansas: 16 %Arkansas16Alabama: 15.6 %Alabama15.6District of Columbia: 15.4 %District of Columbia15.4Oklahoma: 15.3 %Oklahoma15.3South Carolina: 14.1 %South Carolina14.1New York: 14 %New York14Texas: 13.8 %Texas13.8Tennessee: 13.8 %Tennessee13.8Georgia: 13.4 %Georgia13.4Ohio: 13.3 %Ohio13.3Michigan: 13.2 %Michigan13.2North Carolina: 13 %North Carolina13Missouri: 12.6 %Missouri12.6Florida: 12.6 %Florida12.6Arizona: 12.5 %Arizona12.5Nevada: 12.4 %Nevada12.4Indiana: 12.3 %Indiana12.3California: 12 %California12Oregon: 11.9 %Oregon11.9South Dakota: 11.9 %South Dakota11.9Illinois: 11.8 %Illinois11.8Pennsylvania: 11.7 %Pennsylvania11.7Montana: 11.5 %Montana11.5Kansas: 11.3 %Kansas11.3Rhode Island: 11.2 %Rhode Island11.2Iowa: 11.1 %Iowa11.1North Dakota: 10.8 %North Dakota10.8Maine: 10.8 %Maine10.8Nebraska: 10.6 %Nebraska10.6Idaho: 10.6 %Idaho10.6Wisconsin: 10.6 %Wisconsin10.6Wyoming: 10.5 %Wyoming10.5Delaware: 10.4 %Delaware10.4Alaska: 10.1 %Alaska10.1Vermont: 10.1 %Vermont10.1Hawaii: 10 %Hawaii10Massachusetts: 10 %Massachusetts10Connecticut: 10 %Connecticut10Washington: 9.9 %Washington9.9Virginia: 9.9 %Virginia9.9New Jersey: 9.7 %New Jersey9.7Maryland: 9.5 %Maryland9.5Colorado: 9.4 %Colorado9.4Minnesota: 9.3 %Minnesota9.3Utah: 8.5 %Utah8.5New Hampshire: 7.3 %New Hampshire7.3
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2024 (%)Change on 2023
1Louisiana18.9+0.1 pts
2Mississippi18.9-0.2 pts
3New Mexico17.8-0.3 pts
4West Virginia16.7+0.1 pts
5Kentucky16.1-0.1 pts
6Arkansas16-0 pts
7Alabama15.6-0 pts
8District of Columbia15.4+0.9 pts
9Oklahoma15.30 pts
10South Carolina14.1-0.1 pts
11New York14+0.3 pts
12Texas13.8-0 pts
13Tennessee13.8-0 pts
14Georgia13.4-0.1 pts
15Ohio13.30 pts
16Michigan13.2+0.2 pts
17North Carolina13-0.1 pts
18Missouri12.6-0 pts
19Florida12.6-0 pts
20Arizona12.5-0.3 pts
21Nevada12.4-0.2 pts
22Indiana12.3+0.1 pts
23California120 pts
24Oregon11.90 pts
25South Dakota11.9-0.1 pts
26Illinois11.8+0.1 pts
27Pennsylvania11.7-0.1 pts
28Montana11.5-0.5 pts
29Kansas11.3-0.2 pts
30Rhode Island11.2+0.3 pts
31Iowa11.1+0.1 pts
32North Dakota10.8+0.2 pts
33Maine10.8-0 pts
34Nebraska10.6+0.3 pts
35Idaho10.6-0.1 pts
36Wisconsin10.6-0 pts
37Wyoming10.5-0.2 pts
38Delaware10.4-0.3 pts
39Alaska10.1-0 pts
40Vermont10.1-0.2 pts
41Hawaii10+0.1 pts
41Massachusetts10+0.1 pts
43Connecticut10-0 pts
44Washington9.9-0 pts
45Virginia9.9-0 pts
46New Jersey9.7-0 pts
47Maryland9.5+0.1 pts
48Colorado9.4+0.1 pts
49Minnesota9.3+0.1 pts
50Utah8.5-0.1 pts
51New Hampshire7.3+0.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People with income in the past 12 months below the official US poverty thresholds, as a percentage of people whose poverty status is determined. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

The headline single-year rate for states and counties is poverty_rate (SAIPE). Poverty status is not determined for people in institutions, military group quarters or college dormitories, or for unrelated children under 15. 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. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b17001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs (US states by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b17001.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs, US states by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b17001.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/us-states. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs. US states by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b17001.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/us-states.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs, US states by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b17001.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/us-states (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_poverty_2024,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs: US states by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b17001.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/us-states. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b17001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs: US states by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b17001.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/us-states
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/us-states.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b17001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Louisiana, with 18.9% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

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, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate): other rankings

US states: more rankings