Interactive: The Unequal States of America
The Unequal States of America
Income inequality in
Income trends have varied from state to state, and within states. But a pattern is apparent: the growth of top 1% incomes. Explore inequality in this interactive feature.
Select a state or region:
Average annual income of the top 1% What you need to make to be in the top 1%:
Average income of everyone else (the bottom 99%)
x
The top 1% make times more than the bottom 99%The top 1% take home % of all the income in .
Share of income captured by the top 1%, 1917–2015
The share of all income held by the top 1% in recent years has approached or surpassed historical highs.
Inside
Metropolitan areas
The , metro area is the most unequal metro area in .
- The top 1% make times more than the bottom 99%.
- Average income of the top 1%: .
- Average income of the bottom 99%: .
Counties
, is the most unequal county equivalent in .
- The top 1% make times more than the bottom 99%.
- Average income of the top 1%: .
- Average income of the bottom 99%: .
See inequality numbers for all counties [+] or metro areas [+]
How does compare with the rest of the country?
ranks # of the 50 states in income inequality, based on the ratio of top 1% to bottom 99% income.
Inequality at the national level
- Minimum annual income to be in the top 1%: $421,926
- Average annual income of the top 1%: $1,316,985
- Average annual income of the bottom 99%: $50,107
- Ratio of top 1% to bottom 99%: 26.3x
Adapted from Estelle Sommeiller and Mark Price, The New Gilded Age: Income Inequality in the U.S. by State, Metropolitan Area, and County, an Economic Policy Institute report published in July 2018. Data are for tax units (single adults or married couples), referred to in the report as families, and for 2015, unless otherwise indicated.