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

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

Mississippi had the highest poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 51 states in 2021, at 19.4%. New Hampshire had the lowest, at 7.4%. The median was 12.1% and the figure for the United States was 12.6%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest19.4Mississippi
Lowest7.4New Hampshire
Median12.151 states
United States12.6History

Map of states, 2021

Alabama: 15.8 %Alaska: 10.4 %Arizona: 13.5 %Arkansas: 16 %California: 12.3 %Colorado: 9.6 %Connecticut: 10 %Delaware: 11.4 %District of Columbia: 15.4 %Florida: 13.1 %Georgia: 13.9 %Hawaii: 9.5 %Idaho: 11.4 %Illinois: 11.8 %Indiana: 12.5 %Iowa: 11 %Kansas: 11.5 %Kentucky: 16.3 %Louisiana: 18.8 %Maine: 11.1 %Maryland: 9.2 %Massachusetts: 9.9 %Michigan: 13.3 %Minnesota: 9.2 %Mississippi: 19.4 %Missouri: 12.8 %Montana: 12.5 %Nebraska: 10.3 %Nevada: 12.9 %New Hampshire: 7.4 %New Jersey: 9.8 %New Mexico: 18.3 %New York: 13.5 %North Carolina: 13.7 %North Dakota: 10.7 %Ohio: 13.4 %Oklahoma: 15.2 %Oregon: 12.1 %Pennsylvania: 11.8 %Rhode Island: 11.3 %South Carolina: 14.5 %South Dakota: 12.5 %Tennessee: 14.3 %Texas: 14 %Utah: 8.8 %Vermont: 10.5 %Virginia: 9.9 %Washington: 10 %West Virginia: 16.9 %Wisconsin: 10.7 %Wyoming: 10.7 %
  • Under 10
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%, 2021. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2021

Mississippi: 19.4 %Mississippi19.4Louisiana: 18.8 %Louisiana18.8New Mexico: 18.3 %New Mexico18.3West Virginia: 16.9 %West Virginia16.9Kentucky: 16.3 %Kentucky16.3Arkansas: 16 %Arkansas16Alabama: 15.8 %Alabama15.8District of Columbia: 15.4 %District of Columbia15.4Oklahoma: 15.2 %Oklahoma15.2South Carolina: 14.5 %South Carolina14.5Tennessee: 14.3 %Tennessee14.3Texas: 14 %Texas14Georgia: 13.9 %Georgia13.9North Carolina: 13.7 %North Carolina13.7Arizona: 13.5 %Arizona13.5New York: 13.5 %New York13.5Ohio: 13.4 %Ohio13.4Michigan: 13.3 %Michigan13.3Florida: 13.1 %Florida13.1Nevada: 12.9 %Nevada12.9Missouri: 12.8 %Missouri12.8Indiana: 12.5 %Indiana12.5Montana: 12.5 %Montana12.5South Dakota: 12.5 %South Dakota12.5California: 12.3 %California12.3Oregon: 12.1 %Oregon12.1Illinois: 11.8 %Illinois11.8Pennsylvania: 11.8 %Pennsylvania11.8Kansas: 11.5 %Kansas11.5Delaware: 11.4 %Delaware11.4Idaho: 11.4 %Idaho11.4Rhode Island: 11.3 %Rhode Island11.3Maine: 11.1 %Maine11.1Iowa: 11 %Iowa11Wyoming: 10.7 %Wyoming10.7North Dakota: 10.7 %North Dakota10.7Wisconsin: 10.7 %Wisconsin10.7Vermont: 10.5 %Vermont10.5Alaska: 10.4 %Alaska10.4Nebraska: 10.3 %Nebraska10.3Connecticut: 10 %Connecticut10Washington: 10 %Washington10Virginia: 9.9 %Virginia9.9Massachusetts: 9.9 %Massachusetts9.9New Jersey: 9.8 %New Jersey9.8Colorado: 9.6 %Colorado9.6Hawaii: 9.5 %Hawaii9.5Minnesota: 9.2 %Minnesota9.2Maryland: 9.2 %Maryland9.2Utah: 8.8 %Utah8.8New Hampshire: 7.4 %New Hampshire7.4Mississippi: 19.4 %Mississippi19.4Louisiana: 18.8 %Louisiana18.8New Mexico: 18.3 %New Mexico18.3West Virginia: 16.9 %West Virginia16.9Kentucky: 16.3 %Kentucky16.3Arkansas: 16 %Arkansas16Alabama: 15.8 %Alabama15.8District of Columbia: 15.4 %District of Columbia15.4Oklahoma: 15.2 %Oklahoma15.2South Carolina: 14.5 %South Carolina14.5Tennessee: 14.3 %Tennessee14.3Texas: 14 %Texas14Georgia: 13.9 %Georgia13.9North Carolina: 13.7 %North Carolina13.7Arizona: 13.5 %Arizona13.5New York: 13.5 %New York13.5Ohio: 13.4 %Ohio13.4Michigan: 13.3 %Michigan13.3Florida: 13.1 %Florida13.1Nevada: 12.9 %Nevada12.9Missouri: 12.8 %Missouri12.8Indiana: 12.5 %Indiana12.5Montana: 12.5 %Montana12.5South Dakota: 12.5 %South Dakota12.5California: 12.3 %California12.3Oregon: 12.1 %Oregon12.1Illinois: 11.8 %Illinois11.8Pennsylvania: 11.8 %Pennsylvania11.8Kansas: 11.5 %Kansas11.5Delaware: 11.4 %Delaware11.4Idaho: 11.4 %Idaho11.4Rhode Island: 11.3 %Rhode Island11.3Maine: 11.1 %Maine11.1Iowa: 11 %Iowa11Wyoming: 10.7 %Wyoming10.7North Dakota: 10.7 %North Dakota10.7Wisconsin: 10.7 %Wisconsin10.7Vermont: 10.5 %Vermont10.5Alaska: 10.4 %Alaska10.4Nebraska: 10.3 %Nebraska10.3Connecticut: 10 %Connecticut10Washington: 10 %Washington10Virginia: 9.9 %Virginia9.9Massachusetts: 9.9 %Massachusetts9.9New Jersey: 9.8 %New Jersey9.8Colorado: 9.6 %Colorado9.6Hawaii: 9.5 %Hawaii9.5Minnesota: 9.2 %Minnesota9.2Maryland: 9.2 %Maryland9.2Utah: 8.8 %Utah8.8New Hampshire: 7.4 %New Hampshire7.4
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2021 (%)
1Mississippi19.4
2Louisiana18.8
3New Mexico18.3
4West Virginia16.9
5Kentucky16.3
6Arkansas16
7Alabama15.8
8District of Columbia15.4
9Oklahoma15.2
10South Carolina14.5
11Tennessee14.3
12Texas14
13Georgia13.9
14North Carolina13.7
15Arizona13.5
16New York13.5
17Ohio13.4
18Michigan13.3
19Florida13.1
20Nevada12.9
21Missouri12.8
22Indiana12.5
23Montana12.5
24South Dakota12.5
25California12.3
26Oregon12.1
27Illinois11.8
28Pennsylvania11.8
29Kansas11.5
30Delaware11.4
31Idaho11.4
32Rhode Island11.3
33Maine11.1
34Iowa11
35Wyoming10.7
36North Dakota10.7
37Wisconsin10.7
38Vermont10.5
39Alaska10.4
40Nebraska10.3
41Connecticut10
42Washington10
43Virginia9.9
44Massachusetts9.9
45New Jersey9.8
46Colorado9.6
47Hawaii9.5
48Minnesota9.2
49Maryland9.2
50Utah8.8
51New Hampshire7.4

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/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-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), 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-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), 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b17001.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/us-states?period=2021. 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), 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b17001.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/us-states?period=2021.

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), 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b17001.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/us-states?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_poverty_2021,
  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), 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b17001.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/us-states?period=2021. 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/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-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), 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b17001.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/us-states?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/us-states?period=2021.
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/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b17001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

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

Mississippi, with 19.4% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

New Hampshire, with 7.4% in 2021.

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