Richest States in America by Median Household Income
Which state has the highest household income in America? Ranked by median household income from the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates, Maryland comes out on top at $101,652 — about 1.9 times the $54,915 median in Mississippi, the lowest-income state. The table below ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Top 10 by Median Household Income
The national median household income is $78,538, but only 18 of the 50 states exceed it. That is not a paradox — a handful of very large, high-income states (and the high cost-of-living metros inside them) pull the national figure above what the typical state records. Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Jersey lead the ranking, and the top of the list is dominated by states with dense knowledge economies, high shares of college graduates, and — not coincidentally — high housing costs.
Income alone does not measure how far a paycheck goes. Maryland ranks #11 among the 50 states for median home value, and most of the highest-income states carry similarly expensive housing. For the flip side of this ranking, see the most affordable states — measured by home prices relative to local incomes — and the most expensive states by home value. To see which communities top the income scale at the local level, browse the richest cities in America.
Full Rankings
| # | State | Median Income | Home Value | Bachelor's+ | Poverty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $106,287 | $724,600 | 63.6% | 14.5% |
| 2 | Maryland | $101,652 | $397,700 | 42.7% | 9.3% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $101,341 | $525,800 | 46.6% | 10.0% |
| 4 | New Jersey | $101,050 | $427,600 | 42.9% | 9.8% |
| 5 | Hawaii | $98,317 | $808,200 | 35.5% | 10.0% |
| 6 | California | $96,334 | $695,400 | 36.5% | 12.0% |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $95,628 | $367,200 | 39.8% | 7.2% |
| 8 | Washington | $94,952 | $519,800 | 38.8% | 9.9% |
| 9 | Connecticut | $93,760 | $343,200 | 41.9% | 10.0% |
| 10 | Colorado | $92,470 | $502,200 | 44.7% | 9.4% |
| 11 | Utah | $91,750 | $455,000 | 36.9% | 8.6% |
| 12 | Virginia | $90,974 | $360,700 | 41.5% | 9.9% |
| 13 | Alaska | $89,336 | $333,300 | 31.2% | 10.2% |
| 14 | Minnesota | $87,556 | $305,500 | 38.8% | 9.2% |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $86,372 | $368,800 | 37.3% | 10.9% |
| 16 | New York | $84,578 | $403,000 | 39.6% | 13.7% |
| 17 | Delaware | $82,855 | $326,800 | 35.3% | 10.7% |
| 18 | Illinois | $81,702 | $250,500 | 37.2% | 11.7% |
| 19 | Oregon | $80,426 | $454,200 | 36.2% | 11.9% |
| 20 | Vermont | $78,024 | $290,500 | 42.6% | 10.3% |
| 21 | Arizona | $76,872 | $358,900 | 32.6% | 12.8% |
| 22 | Texas | $76,292 | $260,400 | 33.1% | 13.8% |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $76,081 | $240,500 | 34.5% | 11.8% |
| 24 | North Dakota | $75,949 | $241,100 | 32.3% | 10.6% |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $75,670 | $247,400 | 32.8% | 10.6% |
| 26 | Nevada | $75,561 | $406,100 | 27.4% | 12.6% |
| 27 | Nebraska | $74,985 | $223,800 | 34.1% | 10.3% |
| 28 | Wyoming | $74,815 | $285,100 | 29.9% | 10.7% |
| 29 | Georgia | $74,664 | $272,900 | 34.2% | 13.5% |
| 30 | Idaho | $74,636 | $376,000 | 31.2% | 10.6% |
| 31 | Iowa | $73,147 | $195,900 | 30.9% | 11.0% |
| 32 | Kansas | $72,639 | $203,400 | 35.2% | 11.5% |
| 33 | South Dakota | $72,421 | $236,800 | 31.1% | 12.0% |
| 34 | Maine | $71,773 | $266,400 | 35.3% | 10.8% |
| 35 | Florida | $71,711 | $325,000 | 33.2% | 12.6% |
| 36 | Michigan | $71,149 | $217,600 | 31.8% | 13.1% |
| 37 | Indiana | $70,051 | $201,600 | 28.8% | 12.2% |
| 38 | Montana | $69,922 | $338,100 | 34.5% | 12.0% |
| 39 | North Carolina | $69,904 | $259,400 | 34.7% | 13.2% |
| 40 | Ohio | $69,680 | $199,200 | 30.9% | 13.2% |
| 41 | Missouri | $68,920 | $215,600 | 31.9% | 12.6% |
| 42 | Tennessee | $67,097 | $256,800 | 30.4% | 13.8% |
| 43 | South Carolina | $66,818 | $236,700 | 31.5% | 14.2% |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $63,603 | $185,900 | 27.8% | 15.3% |
| 45 | Kentucky | $62,417 | $192,300 | 27.0% | 16.1% |
| 46 | New Mexico | $62,125 | $232,200 | 30.2% | 18.1% |
| 47 | Alabama | $62,027 | $195,100 | 27.8% | 15.6% |
| 48 | Louisiana | $60,023 | $208,700 | 26.6% | 18.9% |
| 49 | Arkansas | $58,773 | $175,300 | 25.1% | 16.0% |
| 50 | West Virginia | $57,917 | $155,600 | 23.3% | 16.6% |
| 51 | Mississippi | $54,915 | $161,400 | 24.2% | 19.1% |
The District of Columbia is included for comparison, although it is not a state.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates.
About This Ranking
All figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, the Bureau's most reliable dataset for state and local statistics. Because estimates pool five years of survey responses, they describe a recent period rather than a single moment, and small differences between closely ranked entries may fall within the survey's margin of error. Learn more about the data on our methodology page or at data.census.gov.
More National Rankings
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the richest state in the US?
Maryland has the highest median household income of any US state at $101,652, according to the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. (The District of Columbia's median of $106,287 would rank near the top, but it is a federal district, not a state.)
What is the poorest state in the US?
Mississippi has the lowest median household income at $54,915 — about 1.9 times less than Maryland, the highest-income state.
How is the "richest state" measured?
This ranking uses median household income — the income of the household exactly in the middle of each state's distribution. Unlike average (mean) income, the median is not skewed upward by a small number of very high earners, which makes it the standard measure for comparing typical living standards.