Income adjusted for cost of living: what a state's income buys
Adjusted for local prices, personal income per resident in 2024 was highest in the District of Columbia ($81,872), Wyoming ($75,501) and Connecticut ($74,254), and lowest in Mississippi ($48,4651). The adjustment lifts the cheap Plains states, pulls down the expensive coasts and moves Hawaii from the middle of the table to near the bottom.
Published November 12, 2026. Data as of September 30, 2026.
Source: BEA, SARPP Regional Price Parities by state; Census Bureau, 2024 Cartographic Boundary Files. Darker states are higher; DC is the dot. Period: 2024.
Show the numbers
| State | Real per capita income |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $81,872 |
| Wyoming | $75,501 |
| Connecticut | $74,254 |
| Massachusetts | $71,629 |
| South Dakota | $69,153 |
| Nebraska | $65,297 |
| North Dakota | $65,271 |
| Colorado | $65,223 |
| New Hampshire | $64,632 |
| Washington | $64,421 |
| New York | $64,153 |
| New Jersey | $63,142 |
| California | $63,028 |
| Minnesota | $62,039 |
| Virginia | $61,914 |
| Maryland | $61,111 |
| Illinois | $60,333 |
| Alaska | $60,272 |
| Iowa | $60,144 |
| Montana | $59,203 |
| Kansas | $59,172 |
| Vermont | $58,893 |
| Oklahoma | $58,692 |
| Pennsylvania | $58,620 |
| Tennessee | $58,582 |
| Wisconsin | $58,273 |
| Texas | $58,219 |
| Missouri | $57,850 |
| Maine | $57,480 |
| Florida | $57,131 |
| Louisiana | $56,789 |
| Nevada | $56,503 |
| North Carolina | $56,310 |
| Ohio | $56,232 |
| Rhode Island | $55,878 |
| Indiana | $55,562 |
| Oregon | $55,451 |
| Arkansas | $55,219 |
| Delaware | $55,185 |
| Utah | $55,116 |
| Michigan | $53,569 |
| Georgia | $52,952 |
| Arizona | $52,890 |
| Idaho | $52,816 |
| South Carolina | $52,463 |
| Kentucky | $52,290 |
| Hawaii | $52,272 |
| Alabama | $52,216 |
| New Mexico | $51,121 |
| West Virginia | $50,051 |
| Mississippi | $48,465 |
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) publishes two versions of income per person for every state. The first is per capita personal income in current dollars: all income received by a state's residents divided by its population. The second divides that income again by the state's price level, so that a dollar in an expensive state and a dollar in a cheap one count for what they buy. The BEA says the adjusted series exists to compare the buying power of personal income across states. This page ranks every state on that second measure and shows where it changes the answer.
Source: BEA, SARPP Regional Price Parities by state. Period: 2024.
Show the numbers
| State | Real per capita income |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $81,872 |
| Wyoming | $75,501 |
| Connecticut | $74,254 |
| Massachusetts | $71,629 |
| South Dakota | $69,153 |
| Nebraska | $65,297 |
| North Dakota | $65,271 |
| Colorado | $65,223 |
| New Hampshire | $64,632 |
| Washington | $64,421 |
| New York | $64,153 |
| New Jersey | $63,142 |
| California | $63,028 |
| Minnesota | $62,039 |
| Virginia | $61,914 |
| Maryland | $61,111 |
| Illinois | $60,333 |
| Alaska | $60,272 |
| Iowa | $60,144 |
| Montana | $59,203 |
| United States | $59,195 |
| Kansas | $59,172 |
| Vermont | $58,893 |
| Oklahoma | $58,692 |
| Pennsylvania | $58,620 |
| Tennessee | $58,582 |
| Wisconsin | $58,273 |
| Texas | $58,219 |
| Missouri | $57,850 |
| Maine | $57,480 |
| Florida | $57,131 |
| Louisiana | $56,789 |
| Nevada | $56,503 |
| North Carolina | $56,310 |
| Ohio | $56,232 |
| Rhode Island | $55,878 |
| Indiana | $55,562 |
| Oregon | $55,451 |
| Arkansas | $55,219 |
| Delaware | $55,185 |
| Utah | $55,116 |
| Michigan | $53,569 |
| Georgia | $52,952 |
| Arizona | $52,890 |
| Idaho | $52,816 |
| South Carolina | $52,463 |
| Kentucky | $52,290 |
| Hawaii | $52,272 |
| Alabama | $52,216 |
| New Mexico | $51,121 |
| West Virginia | $50,051 |
| Mississippi | $48,465 |
The ranking after prices
In 2024 the national figure was $59,195 per resident in constant 2017 dollars. 20 states, counting DC, were above it and 31 below; the middle state stood at $58,273. The range ran from $48,465 in Mississippi to $81,872 in the District of Columbia1.
The top ten mixes two kinds of state. Six are high-income, high-price places: the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Colorado, New Hampshire and Washington. The other four, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska and North Dakota, have prices below the national level. Wyoming, at $75,501, is the highest of any state (the District of Columbia is higher), with prices 7% below the US figure (100.0)1.
Mississippi, West Virginia, New Mexico, Alabama, Hawaii and Kentucky1 have the six lowest values. Four of them are in the South and have low prices. New Mexico and Hawaii are in the West, and Hawaii, with prices among the highest in the country, is the clearest case of what prices do to an income ranking.
Hawaii: average income, the second-highest prices
Before any adjustment, Hawaii's income per resident in 2025 was $76,966, $62 (0%) below the US figure ($77,028) and 19th highest2 among the states and DC. Its overall price level in 2024 was 110.0 (US = 100), 2nd most expensive after California. After the BEA divides by those prices, Hawaii's real income per resident is $52,272, $6,923 (12%) below the US figure ($59,195), and the state ranks 5th lowest, 2nd lowest in the West1.
Hawaii's prices are high across the board, not only for housing. Its price level for goods, 111.6, is the most expensive in the nation, and utilities, at 190.2, are 93% above the US figure (98.4). Housing rents (125.3) rank 7th most expensive. In California, by contrast, the premium sits mainly in rents: at 154.3, they are the most expensive of any state (the District of Columbia is higher). California's goods prices are 7% above the US figure (99.6)1.
Who gains and who loses from the adjustment
The table compares the two BEA figures for the states that move the most. The unadjusted figure is for 2025, the latest year published; the price-adjusted figure is for 2024, because the BEA releases price levels later. Some of the difference in rank can come from the extra year as well as from prices.
| South Dakota | $78,999 | 88.6 | $69,153 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | $76,055 | 90.1 | $65,297 |
| North Dakota | $77,438 | 89.0 | $65,271 |
| New York | $91,504 | 107.9 | $64,153 |
| New Jersey | $89,720 | 108.8 | $63,142 |
| California | $90,957 | 110.7 | $63,028 |
| Iowa | $67,321 | 87.8 | $60,144 |
| Oklahoma | $66,055 | 87.8 | $58,692 |
| Florida | $78,345 | 103.4 | $57,131 |
| Hawaii | $76,966 | 110.0 | $52,272 |
| United States | $77,028 | 100.0 | $59,195 |
Source: BEA, SAINC1 State annual personal income summary; BEA, SARPP Regional Price Parities by state.
Moving up. South Dakota ranks 14th highest on unadjusted income and 5th highest after prices, highest in the Midwest. Nebraska goes from 20th highest to 6th highest. Iowa, 14th lowest before adjustment and lower than every bordering state (Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin), ends 19th highest and $949 (2%) above the US figure ($59,195). Oklahoma moves from 11th lowest2 to 23rd highest, 4th highest in the South; its overall price level ranks tied for 3rd least expensive1 in the country.
Moving down. Florida's unadjusted income, $78,345, is $1,317 (2%) above the US figure ($77,028); its real income, $57,131, is $2,064 (3%) below the US figure ($59,195), and its rank drops from 16th highest to 22nd lowest. New York goes from 4th highest to 11th highest, New Jersey from 7th highest to 12th highest and California from 6th highest2 to 13th highest. All three stay above the national figure after prices: California's real income is $3,833 (6%) above the US figure ($59,195)1.
Low prices do not close the gap in the South
The two cheapest states by overall price level are Arkansas (86.9) and Mississippi (87.0). Lower prices raise their real incomes relative to the rest of the country, but not enough to change the bottom of the table. Mississippi is the lowest in the nation on unadjusted income and the lowest in the nation after prices, lower than every bordering state (Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee). Arkansas rises from 5th lowest2 to 14th lowest and remains $3,976 (7%) below the US figure ($59,195)1.
What the adjustment does change is the distance between states. Unadjusted income per resident in 2025 ranged from $54,433 in Mississippi to $119,772 in the District of Columbia2; after prices, in 2024, the range is from $48,465 in Mississippi to $81,872 in the District of Columbia1. Because the states with the highest incomes also tend to have the highest prices, the adjustment narrows the gap without reversing it.
The map shows the regional pattern. In the Midwest, South Dakota is highest ($69,153) and Michigan lowest ($53,569). In the Northeast the range runs from Connecticut ($74,254) down to Rhode Island ($55,878); in the West, from Wyoming to New Mexico ($51,1211).
Poverty after housing costs
Readers also look for a poverty rate adjusted for the cost of living. The official poverty measure uses the same income lines everywhere in the country. The Census Bureau's Supplemental Poverty Measure sets its lines from spending on food, clothing, shelter and utilities, adjusts them for geographic differences in housing costs, and counts taxes and noncash benefits as well as cash income. Its state figures are three-year averages from the Current Population Survey.
On the 2023–2025 average, California's rate under the official definition, 10.7%, was not statistically different from the US figure (10.7%). Under the supplemental measure its rate was 17.8% (±0.6 percentage points), 4.8 percentage points above the US figure (13.0%), and 2nd highest among the states (between 1st and 3rd once margins of error are considered). Florida shows the same pattern: an official rate not statistically different from the US figure (10.7%), a supplemental rate of 16.4%, 3.4 percentage points above the US figure (13.0%)4.
Several lower-price states go the other way. New Mexico's official rate was 5.3 percentage points above the US figure (10.7%), while its supplemental rate, 13.2%, was not statistically different from the US figure (13.0%). Kentucky's official rate was 3.0 percentage points above the US figure (10.7%) and West Virginia's 2.8 percentage points above the US figure (10.7%); their supplemental rates, 13.2% and 12.1%, were not statistically different from the US figure (13.0%). The lowest supplemental rate was in Maine, 6.4% (±1.1 percentage points4). A full comparison of the two poverty measures is in official vs supplemental poverty by state.
What these figures leave out
- Personal income is not take-home pay. The BEA's personal income counts wages, proprietors' income, rent, interest and dividends and government transfers, before income taxes. State and local taxes are outside this site's scope and are not part of the price adjustment.
- An average per resident. Income per person divides all income by every resident, children included. A few very high incomes raise it; it is not what a typical household earns. For that, see median household income by state, which is not adjusted for prices.
- A state is not one price. The price levels are state averages. A large metro area can cost far more than the rest of its state; this site covers states only.
- Two different years. The price-adjusted figures are for 2024. The BEA lists its next release of price levels and real income, covering 2025, for December 10, 2026. Prices by category are on the cost of living ranking.
Every state, before and after prices
| District of Columbia | $119,772 | 109.9 | $81,872 | 15.7% ±1.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | $91,109 | 92.7 | $75,501 | 8.7% ±1.1 |
| Connecticut | $102,307 | 103.6 | $74,254 | 10.4% ±1.4 |
| Massachusetts | $98,700 | 105.8 | $71,629 | 12.5% ±1.0 |
| South Dakota | $78,999 | 88.6 | $69,153 | 8.0% ±1.1 |
| Nebraska | $76,055 | 90.1 | $65,297 | 7.5% ±1.0 |
| North Dakota | $77,438 | 89.0 | $65,271 | 8.9% ±1.1 |
| Colorado | $86,342 | 103.1 | $65,223 | 10.8% ±1.5 |
| New Hampshire | $88,145 | 104.2 | $64,632 | 8.0% ±1.3 |
| Washington | $88,944 | 107.0 | $64,421 | 10.5% ±1.3 |
| New York | $91,504 | 107.9 | $64,153 | 15.1% ±0.9 |
| New Jersey | $89,720 | 108.8 | $63,142 | 12.1% ±1.0 |
| California | $90,957 | 110.7 | $63,028 | 17.8% ±0.6 |
| Minnesota | $78,197 | 98.6 | $62,039 | 7.9% ±1.0 |
| Virginia | $80,903 | 101.1 | $61,914 | 10.6% ±1.2 |
| Maryland | $82,387 | 105.0 | $61,111 | 10.9% ±1.4 |
| Illinois | $78,987 | 100.0 | $60,333 | 11.6% ±0.9 |
| Alaska | $80,510 | 102.4 | $60,272 | 10.4% ±1.3 |
| Iowa | $67,321 | 87.8 | $60,144 | 8.3% ±1.1 |
| Montana | $72,066 | 94.6 | $59,203 | 9.5% ±1.6 |
| Kansas | $69,149 | 90.1 | $59,172 | 8.1% ±1.0 |
| Vermont | $75,723 | 98.0 | $58,893 | 8.9% ±1.2 |
| Oklahoma | $66,055 | 87.8 | $58,692 | 11.1% ±1.3 |
| Pennsylvania | $75,370 | 97.6 | $58,620 | 10.7% ±1.0 |
| Tennessee | $69,274 | 91.9 | $58,582 | 11.1% ±1.1 |
| Wisconsin | $71,219 | 94.1 | $58,273 | 7.9% ±1.2 |
| Texas | $73,156 | 97.1 | $58,219 | 14.4% ±0.6 |
| Missouri | $69,836 | 90.8 | $57,850 | 9.4% ±1.3 |
| Maine | $71,742 | 97.1 | $57,480 | 6.4% ±1.1 |
| Florida | $78,345 | 103.4 | $57,131 | 16.4% ±0.9 |
| Louisiana | $64,103 | 88.2 | $56,789 | 19.0% ±1.4 |
| Nevada | $73,767 | 100.0 | $56,503 | 15.3% ±1.5 |
| North Carolina | $68,274 | 94.3 | $56,310 | 13.5% ±1.2 |
| Ohio | $67,584 | 92.8 | $56,232 | 9.9% ±1.0 |
| Rhode Island | $75,233 | 102.3 | $55,878 | 10.6% ±1.4 |
| Indiana | $66,455 | 93.3 | $55,562 | 10.3% ±1.2 |
| Oregon | $73,283 | 103.4 | $55,451 | 11.0% ±1.0 |
| Arkansas | $61,697 | 86.9 | $55,219 | 12.8% ±1.4 |
| Delaware | $68,630 | 99.8 | $55,185 | 8.9% ±1.3 |
| Utah | $70,323 | 98.9 | $55,116 | 9.9% ±1.1 |
| Michigan | $67,245 | 96.2 | $53,569 | 10.6% ±1.2 |
| Georgia | $65,111 | 96.3 | $52,952 | 14.0% ±1.2 |
| Arizona | $68,373 | 100.7 | $52,890 | 13.7% ±1.2 |
| Idaho | $64,200 | 95.5 | $52,816 | 9.4% ±1.0 |
| South Carolina | $63,435 | 93.7 | $52,463 | 11.1% ±1.2 |
| Kentucky | $60,835 | 90.2 | $52,290 | 13.2% ±1.6 |
| Hawaii | $76,966 | 110.0 | $52,272 | 11.7% ±1.3 |
| Alabama | $59,754 | 88.8 | $52,216 | 14.4% ±1.3 |
| New Mexico | $62,089 | 92.2 | $51,121 | 13.2% ±1.5 |
| West Virginia | $58,217 | 89.5 | $50,051 | 12.1% ±1.6 |
| Mississippi | $54,433 | 87.0 | $48,465 | 16.8% ±1.4 |
| United States | $77,028 | 100.0 | $59,195 | 13.0% ±0.2 |
Source: BEA, SAINC1 State annual personal income summary; BEA, SARPP Regional Price Parities by state; Census Bureau, Poverty in the United States. ± is the 90% margin of error.
Questions about income and the cost of living
Which state has the highest income adjusted for cost of living?
The District of Columbia, at $81,872 per resident in 2024, measured in constant 2017 dollars by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Among the 50 states, Wyoming is first ($75,501), then Connecticut ($74,254) and Massachusetts ($71,629). The US figure is $59,1951.
Which state has the lowest income after cost of living?
Mississippi, at $48,465 per resident in 2024, $10,730 (18%) below the US figure ($59,195). Its prices are the second lowest in the country, but its income before adjustment is also the lowest, so it stays last. West Virginia ($50,051) and New Mexico ($51,1211) follow.
Does a high salary go further in a cheap state?
On average, yes: the same dollar income buys more where prices are lower. Prices in Arkansas, the cheapest state, were 13% below the US figure (100.0) in 2024, and in California, the most expensive, 11% above the US figure (100.0)1. These are state averages; prices inside a state vary, mostly with housing.
Is there a poverty rate adjusted for cost of living?
Yes. The Census Bureau's Supplemental Poverty Measure adjusts its poverty lines for local housing costs. Over 2023–2025 it was highest in Louisiana (19.0%) and California (17.8%) and lowest in Maine (6.4%), against 13.0%4 nationally.
Sources
- BEA, SARPP Regional Price Parities by state; 2024; released February 19, 2026. apps.bea.gov
- BEA, SAINC1 State annual personal income summary; table SAINC1__ALL_AREAS_1929_2025.csv lines 1-3; 2025 (annual); released September 30, 2026. apps.bea.gov
- Census Bureau, 2024 Cartographic Boundary Files; table cb_2024_us_state_20m; 2024; released April 10, 2025. www2.census.gov
- Census Bureau, Poverty in the United States; CPS ASEC 2024-2026 (calendar years 2023, 2024, 2025); released September 15, 2026. www2.census.gov
Margins of error (±) are at the 90% confidence level. A difference is called significant only when it passes the Census Bureau's test at that level. How every figure is built: methodology. Found an error? Write to [email protected]; corrections are listed on the updates page.