Top 5 Poorest States in the US

Although the economy of the USA is considered one of the strongest in the world, there are plenty of poor regions in the country. When determining such an indicator, it is advisable to be guided by the size of the average annual income of a state resident and the poverty level recorded by local statistical departments.

Key metrics to consider when comparing US regions are:

The average income per year
Poverty level
The percentage of the unemployed
The percentage of people who have no health insurance

According to the mentioned parameters, we have selected the top 5 poorest states in this country. Please, get the details below.

Arkansas

It is located in the southeast of the country and specializes in agriculture. The unemployment rate here reaches 8.3%, and the average annual income of residents is about $38,200. Over 18% of the population lives without health insurance.

Mississippi

This state is located in the southern part of the country. It specialized in agriculture. The development of infrastructure was extremely slow here, which led to a low level of well-being of the population. The average annual income of a resident of the state is $36,700, which is one of the lowest in the country. The unemployment rate reaches 10.9%. According to statistics, more than 18.7% of citizens do not have health insurance, which is one of the worst indicators in the United States.

Tennessee

The state is located in the southern part of the country. Like previous regions, Tennessee specialized in agricultural activities and began to develop infrastructure relatively late. As a result, the income of the average resident of the state reaches 40 thousand dollars, and the poverty rate is about 15,5%. Over 14% of the population lives here without health insurance. The unemployment rate reaches 10%.

West Virginia

This state traditionally belongs to the South Atlantic region. Unlike other regions, it does not have access to the ocean. Even though the economy of this region is diversified between different areas, West Virginia is one of the poorest in the country.

Due to the reduction in production capacity for the extraction of natural resources and their processing, as well as a decrease in the number of farms, the unemployment rate increased to 8,1%. The average annual income of residents is about 40,500 thousand dollars. About 13% of the population does not use health insurance services, and the poverty rate is 15.7%.

Louisiana

Louisiana is one of the poorest states located in the southern United States. The largest city is New Orleans, which suffered severe flooding. Since the natural disaster affected a large part of the population, it had a significant impact on the level of their well-being. As many of the state’s residents lost their homes, the poverty rate rose to 19%, and the average annual income per citizen barely exceeded $41,000. At the same time, more than 20% of people in Louisiana have no health insurance.