- Wage growth has been dismal
Here's the income it takes for a family of 4 to be considered poor in every state
To better understand what it means to be "poor" in each state, we calculated the income it takes to be at the poverty level based on buying power.
Wage growth has been dismal for many American workers, despite signs of a strong economy.
According to the United States Census Bureau, 12.3% of the US population is living in poverty, which means they're earning below $25,100, except in Alaska and Hawaii, where it's $31,380 and $28,870, respectively.
But cost of living varies from state to state, so in order to better understand what it means to be "poor" in each state, we used data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis that indicates how far $100 goes in each state, known as buying power. For example, a person in New York needs to spend $115.60 to get the same goods that a person in Delaware pays $100 for, whereas a Mississippi resident would pay $86.
Based on this buying power, we then calculated how much a family of four actually to needs to make to be at the poverty line. Based on the example above, a New York family must earn $29,016 to have the buying power of a typical American family at the poverty line, whereas the threshold for a Delaware or Mississippi family is lower — $25,677 and $21,686, respectively.
Below, see what's considered "poor" in every state, ranked from lowest to highest salary needed to be at the poverty line based on buying power.
51. Mississippi
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $86.40
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
50. Alabama
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
49. Arkansas
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
48. West Virginia
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
47. Kentucky
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
46. South Dakota
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
45. Oklahoma
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $89
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
44. Ohio
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
43. Missouri
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
42. Iowa
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $90.20
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
41. Tennessee
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
40. Indiana
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
39. South Carolina
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
38. Louisiana
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
37. Kansas
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
36. Nebraska
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
35. North Carolina
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
34. North Dakota
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
33. Georgia
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
32. Wisconsin
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
31. Idaho
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
30. Michigan
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
29. New Mexico
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
28. Montana
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power: $23,619
27. Arizona
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
26. Wyoming
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
25. Texas
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
24. Utah
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
23. Nevada
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
22. Minnesota
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
21. Maine
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
20. Pennsylvania
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
19. Illinois
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
18. Rhode Island
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
17. Florida
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
16. Oregon
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
15. Delaware
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
14. Vermont
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
13. Virginia
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
12. Colorado
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
11. Washington
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
10. New Hampshire
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
9. Massachusetts
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
8. Connecticut
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
7. Maryland
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
6. New Jersey
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
5. California
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
4. Hawaii
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
3. New York
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
2. Washington, DC
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
1. Alaska
Money needed to buy $100 nationally: $
Poverty line:
Salary needed to be at poverty line based on buying power:
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng