# List of U.S. states and territories by poverty rate

This list of U.S. states and territories by poverty rate covers the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the territory of Puerto Rico and their populations' poverty rate. The four other inhabited U.S. territories (American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) are listed separately.
The data source for the main list is the U.S. Census Bureau's five-year American Community Survey taken 2016 - 2020. The American Community Survey is a large demographic survey collected throughout the year using mailed questionnaires, telephone interviews, and visits from Census Bureau field representatives to about 3.5 million household addresses annually, regardless of their legal immigration status.
Overall, out of Americans for whom the Census Bureau was able to determine poverty status, 42.31 million lived below the poverty line (or 13.15% of the total population). Poverty rates were highest in the states of Mississippi (19.58%), Louisiana (18.65%), New Mexico (18.55%), West Virginia (17.10%), Kentucky (16.61%), and Arkansas (16.08%), and they were lowest in the states of New Hampshire (7.42%), Maryland (9.02%), Utah (9.13%), Hawaii (9.26%).

## U.S. Census Bureau table

In the list below, the population in each state and territory of the U.S. by specific poverty status can be found. The list is initially sorted by poverty rate but the table headers can be clicked to sort by any column.
Poverty rate by state or territory, 2016-2020 :
| State or territory | Population | Population under poverty line | Poverty rate |
| Puerto Rico | 3,227,457 | 1,400,958 | 43.41% |
| Mississippi | 2,883,074 | 564,439 | 19.58% |
| Louisiana | 4,532,187 | 845,230 | 18.65% |
| New Mexico | 2,053,909 | 381,026 | 18.55% |
| West Virginia | 1,755,591 | 300,152 | 17.10% |
| Kentucky | 4,322,881 | 717,895 | 16.61% |
| Arkansas | 2,923,585 | 470,190 | 16.08% |
| Alabama | 4,771,614 | 762,642 | 15.98% |
| District of Columbia | 669,089 | 103,391 | 15.45% |
| Oklahoma | 3,833,712 | 585,520 | 15.27% |
| South Carolina | 4,950,181 | 726,470 | 14.68% |
| Tennessee | 6,603,468 | 965,213 | 14.62% |
| Georgia | 10,238,369 | 1,461,572 | 14.28% |
| Texas | 28,013,446 | 3,984,260 | 14.22% |
| Arizona | 7,012,999 | 990,528 | 14.12% |
| North Carolina | 10,098,330 | 1,411,939 | 13.98% |
| Michigan | 9,753,541 | 1,337,256 | 13.71% |
| Ohio | 11,350,378 | 1,546,011 | 13.62% |
| New York | 19,009,098 | 2,581,048 | 13.58% |
| Florida | 20,793,628 | 2,772,939 | 13.34% |
| Missouri | 5,942,813 | 772,992 | 13.01% |
| Indiana | 6,491,632 | 838,149 | 12.91% |
| South Dakota | 849,910 | 108,863 | 12.81% |
| Montana | 1,036,490 | 132,476 | 12.78% |
| Nevada | 2,987,817 | 381,695 | 12.78% |
| California | 38,589,882 | 4,853,434 | 12.58% |
| Oregon | 4,096,744 | 506,558 | 12.36% |
| Illinois | 12,418,504 | 1,488,670 | 11.99% |
| Pennsylvania | 12,387,061 | 1,480,430 | 11.95% |
| Idaho | 1,722,972 | 205,676 | 11.94% |
| Rhode Island | 1,017,028 | 117,785 | 11.58% |
| Kansas | 2,828,498 | 323,644 | 11.44% |
| Delaware | 941,266 | 107,641 | 11.44% |
| Iowa | 3,051,284 | 339,090 | 11.11% |
| Maine | 1,304,038 | 144,384 | 11.07% |
| Wisconsin | 5,659,485 | 620,947 | 10.97% |
| Vermont | 599,938 | 64,700 | 10.78% |
| Wyoming | 566,858 | 61,006 | 10.76% |
| North Dakota | 735,842 | 77,491 | 10.53% |
| Nebraska | 1,869,467 | 193,820 | 10.37% |
| Alaska | 719,445 | 74,369 | 10.34% |
| Washington | 7,372,433 | 751,044 | 10.19% |
| Virginia | 8,255,575 | 826,708 | 10.01% |
| Massachusetts | 6,637,329 | 653,454 | 9.85% |
| Connecticut | 3,466,935 | 339,156 | 9.78% |
| Colorado | 5,563,823 | 544,232 | 9.78% |
| New Jersey | 8,713,792 | 842,704 | 9.67% |
| Minnesota | 5,476,956 | 511,185 | 9.33% |
| Hawaii | 1,381,577 | 127,971 | 9.26% |
| Utah | 3,102,049 | 283,360 | 9.13% |
| Maryland | 5,894,835 | 531,553 | 9.02% |
| New Hampshire | 1,312,770 | 97,418 | 7.42% |
| United States | 321,791,585 | 42,311,284 | 13.15% |

## U.S. territories

Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands are data deficient (because they are not included in the American Community Survey), not all recent poverty rate estimates have been made for them. Below are the poverty rates for these territories in 2010.
| Territory | 2010 Poverty rate |
| American Samoa | 59.9% |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 52.3% |
| Guam | 22.9% |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | 22.4% |

## USDA map

From United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

## USDA table

* Row numbers are static. Other columns are sortable. This allows ranking of any column.
Links below are "Economy of STATE" links.
All people in poverty. Percent. 2021. US Department of Agriculture (USDA). :
| | | | | All people in poverty (2021) | All people in poverty (2021) | All people in poverty (2021) | All people in poverty (2021) | Children ages 0-17 in poverty (2021) | Children ages 0-17 in poverty (2021) | Children ages 0-17 in poverty (2021) |
| | | | | | | 90% confidence interval of estimate | 90% confidence interval of estimate | | 90% confidence interval of estimate | 90% confidence interval of estimate |
| States and D.C. | States and D.C. | States and D.C. | States and D.C. | Percent | Percent | Lower Bound | Upper Bound | Percent | Lower Bound | Upper Bound |
| National | National | National | National | 12.8 | 12.8 | 12.7 | 12.9 | 16.9 | 16.7 | 17.1 |
| Alabama | Alabama | Alabama | Alabama | 16.3 | 16.3 | 15.9 | 16.7 | 22.7 | 21.9 | 23.5 |
| Alaska | Alaska | Alaska | Alaska | 10.8 | 10.8 | 10.3 | 11.3 | 13.5 | 12.7 | 14.3 |
| Arizona | Arizona | Arizona | Arizona | 12.9 | 12.9 | 12.6 | 13.2 | 17.8 | 17.2 | 18.4 |
| Arkansas | Arkansas | Arkansas | Arkansas | 16 | 16 | 15.6 | 16.4 | 21.8 | 21 | 22.6 |
| California | California | California | California | 12.3 | 12.3 | 12.2 | 12.4 | 15.8 | 15.5 | 16.1 |
| Colorado | Colorado | Colorado | Colorado | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.5 | 9.9 | 11.8 | 11.2 | 12.4 |
| Connecticut | Connecticut | Connecticut | Connecticut | 10.1 | 10.1 | 9.8 | 10.4 | 12.9 | 12.2 | 13.6 |
| Delaware | Delaware | Delaware | Delaware | 11.5 | 11.5 | 11 | 12 | 16.2 | 15.3 | 17.1 |
| District of Columbia | District of Columbia | District of Columbia | District of Columbia | 16.8 | 16.8 | 15.9 | 17.7 | 25.5 | 22.5 | 28.5 |
| Florida | Florida | Florida | Florida | 13.2 | 13.2 | 13 | 13.4 | 18.4 | 17.8 | 19 |
| Georgia | Georgia | Georgia | Georgia | 14.2 | 14.2 | 13.9 | 14.5 | 20.5 | 19.9 | 21.1 |
| Hawaii | Hawaii | Hawaii | Hawaii | 10.9 | 10.9 | 10.4 | 11.4 | 12.9 | 12 | 13.8 |
| Idaho | Idaho | Idaho | Idaho | 10.8 | 10.8 | 10.3 | 11.3 | 12.5 | 11.7 | 13.3 |
| Illinois | Illinois | Illinois | Illinois | 12.1 | 12.1 | 11.9 | 12.3 | 15.9 | 15.4 | 16.4 |
| Indiana | Indiana | Indiana | Indiana | 12.1 | 12.1 | 11.8 | 12.4 | 15.7 | 15.1 | 16.3 |
| Iowa | Iowa | Iowa | Iowa | 11 | 11 | 10.6 | 11.4 | 12.4 | 11.8 | 13 |
| Kansas | Kansas | Kansas | Kansas | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.2 | 12 | 13.5 | 12.8 | 14.2 |
| Kentucky | Kentucky | Kentucky | Kentucky | 16.3 | 16.3 | 16 | 16.6 | 21.2 | 20.5 | 21.9 |
| Louisiana | Louisiana | Louisiana | Louisiana | 19.5 | 19.5 | 19.1 | 19.9 | 26.9 | 26.1 | 27.7 |
| Maine | Maine | Maine | Maine | 11.2 | 11.2 | 10.7 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 12.9 | 14.7 |
| Maryland | Maryland | Maryland | Maryland | 10.3 | 10.3 | 10 | 10.6 | 14 | 13.4 | 14.6 |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts | Massachusetts | Massachusetts | 10.4 | 10.4 | 10.2 | 10.6 | 12.8 | 12.2 | 13.4 |
| Michigan | Michigan | Michigan | Michigan | 13 | 13 | 12.8 | 13.2 | 17.6 | 17.1 | 18.1 |
| Minnesota | Minnesota | Minnesota | Minnesota | 9.3 | 9.3 | 9.1 | 9.5 | 10.8 | 10.3 | 11.3 |
| Mississippi | Mississippi | Mississippi | Mississippi | 19.2 | 19.2 | 18.7 | 19.7 | 27.1 | 26.2 | 28 |
| Missouri | Missouri | Missouri | Missouri | 12.8 | 12.8 | 12.5 | 13.1 | 16.5 | 15.9 | 17.1 |
| Montana | Montana | Montana | Montana | 12 | 12 | 11.5 | 12.5 | 14.9 | 14.1 | 15.7 |
| Nebraska | Nebraska | Nebraska | Nebraska | 10.5 | 10.5 | 10.1 | 10.9 | 12.1 | 11.3 | 12.9 |
| Nevada | Nevada | Nevada | Nevada | 14 | 14 | 13.6 | 14.4 | 18.8 | 18 | 19.6 |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire | New Hampshire | New Hampshire | 7.4 | 7.4 | 7 | 7.8 | 9.3 | 8.5 | 10.1 |
| New Jersey | New Jersey | New Jersey | New Jersey | 10.2 | 10.2 | 10 | 10.4 | 13.9 | 13.3 | 14.5 |
| New Mexico | New Mexico | New Mexico | New Mexico | 17.7 | 17.7 | 17.1 | 18.3 | 23.1 | 22.1 | 24.1 |
| New York | New York | New York | New York | 14 | 14 | 13.8 | 14.2 | 18.8 | 18.3 | 19.3 |
| North Carolina | North Carolina | North Carolina | North Carolina | 13.5 | 13.5 | 13.2 | 13.8 | 18.2 | 17.6 | 18.8 |
| North Dakota | North Dakota | North Dakota | North Dakota | 10.9 | 10.9 | 10.3 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 10.6 | 12.4 |
| Ohio | Ohio | Ohio | Ohio | 13.3 | 13.3 | 13.1 | 13.5 | 18.2 | 17.7 | 18.7 |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma | Oklahoma | Oklahoma | 15.4 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 15.7 | 20.5 | 19.8 | 21.2 |
| Oregon | Oregon | Oregon | Oregon | 12.2 | 12.2 | 11.9 | 12.5 | 13.8 | 13.1 | 14.5 |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | 12 | 12 | 11.8 | 12.2 | 16.3 | 15.7 | 16.9 |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island | Rhode Island | Rhode Island | 12.1 | 12.1 | 11.6 | 12.6 | 17 | 16.1 | 17.9 |
| South Carolina | South Carolina | South Carolina | South Carolina | 14.5 | 14.5 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 19.7 | 19 | 20.4 |
| South Dakota | South Dakota | South Dakota | South Dakota | 11.9 | 11.9 | 11.4 | 12.4 | 14.4 | 13.5 | 15.3 |
| Tennessee | Tennessee | Tennessee | Tennessee | 13.7 | 13.7 | 13.4 | 14 | 18.4 | 17.8 | 19 |
| Texas | Texas | Texas | Texas | 14.2 | 14.2 | 14 | 14.4 | 19.5 | 19 | 20 |
| Utah | Utah | Utah | Utah | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.3 | 9.1 | 8.5 | 7.9 | 9.1 |
| Vermont | Vermont | Vermont | Vermont | 10.2 | 10.2 | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 12.1 |
| Virginia | Virginia | Virginia | Virginia | 10.3 | 10.3 | 10.1 | 10.5 | 13.3 | 12.8 | 13.8 |
| Washington | Washington | Washington | Washington | 9.9 | 9.9 | 9.7 | 10.1 | 12 | 11.4 | 12.6 |
| West Virginia | West Virginia | West Virginia | West Virginia | 16.8 | 16.8 | 16.3 | 17.3 | 21.4 | 20.5 | 22.3 |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | 10.8 | 10.8 | 10.6 | 11 | 13.6 | 13.1 | 14.1 |
| Wyoming | Wyoming | Wyoming | Wyoming | 10.6 | 10.6 | 9.9 | 11.3 | 12.1 | 11.1 | 13.1 |