Income inequality by state
New York had the most unequal household incomes of any state in 2025, with a Gini index of 0.519; only the District of Columbia (0.515) was close, and Connecticut (0.495) came next. Utah had the most equal incomes (0.435), followed by New Hampshire and Alaska (both 0.442). The index for the whole country was 0.4821.
Data as of October 29, 2026 (newest release used on this page).
Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B19083; Census Bureau, 2024 Cartographic Boundary Files. Darker states are higher; DC is the dot. Period: 2025.
| 1 | New York | 0.519 | ±0.003 | 1st–2nd | Higher | Not significant | 15.7% | 18.6% | $89,210 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | District of Columbia | 0.515 | ±0.012 | 1st–2nd | Higher | Not significant | 16.8% | 26.2% | $109,505 |
| 3 | Connecticut | 0.496 | ±0.007 | 3rd–5th | Higher | Not significant | 11.6% | 20.5% | $100,056 |
| 4 | Louisiana | 0.490 | ±0.006 | 3rd–9th | Higher | Not significant | 21.1% | 8.7% | $65,139 |
| 5 | California | 0.489 | ±0.002 | 3rd–8th | Higher | +0.004 | 12.4% | 21.7% | $102,159 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | 0.486 | ±0.004 | 4th–12th | Not significant | Not significant | 12.8% | 23.8% | $106,539 |
| 7 | Florida | 0.484 | ±0.003 | 5th–13th | Not significant | +0.004 | 13.8% | 12.9% | $80,846 |
| 8 | Arkansas | 0.483 | ±0.006 | 4th–19th | Not significant | +0.011 | 18.2% | 8.1% | $65,588 |
| 9 | New Mexico | 0.481 | ±0.010 | 4th–23rd | Not significant | Not significant | 18.0% | 10.2% | $70,342 |
| 10 | Alabama | 0.481 | ±0.005 | 6th–19th | Not significant | Not significant | 18.9% | 9.0% | $67,663 |
| 11 | Illinois | 0.478 | ±0.004 | 8th–20th | Lower | Not significant | 14.1% | 15.1% | $86,676 |
| 12 | Mississippi | 0.478 | ±0.007 | 7th–24th | Not significant | Not significant | 21.5% | 6.2% | $59,346 |
| =13 | Kentucky | 0.478 | ±0.005 | 8th–23rd | Not significant | Not significant | 19.0% | 8.2% | $66,447 |
| =13 | Texas | 0.478 | ±0.003 | 8th–20th | Lower | Not significant | 13.7% | 13.9% | $82,625 |
| 15 | Tennessee | 0.477 | ±0.006 | 8th–25th | Not significant | Not significant | 14.9% | 10.9% | $75,875 |
| 16 | New Jersey | 0.476 | ±0.004 | 8th–25th | Lower | Not significant | 10.7% | 23.0% | $107,797 |
| 17 | West Virginia | 0.474 | ±0.007 | 8th–29th | Lower | Not significant | 20.8% | 6.3% | $61,340 |
| =18 | Rhode Island | 0.473 | ±0.015 | 6th–37th | Not significant | Not significant | 14.6% | 15.2% | $91,039 |
| =18 | South Carolina | 0.473 | ±0.006 | 10th–29th | Lower | Not significant | 15.9% | 10.4% | $73,672 |
| 20 | Washington | 0.473 | ±0.004 | 12th–29th | Lower | Not significant | 10.9% | 20.4% | $101,946 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | 0.472 | ±0.003 | 12th–29th | Lower | Not significant | 14.5% | 13.2% | $81,473 |
| 22 | Georgia | 0.472 | ±0.004 | 12th–29th | Lower | Not significant | 14.0% | 13.0% | $81,847 |
| 23 | Michigan | 0.470 | ±0.004 | 17th–31st | Lower | Not significant | 15.2% | 10.9% | $75,832 |
| 24 | Oklahoma | 0.470 | ±0.005 | 15th–32nd | Lower | Not significant | 17.0% | 8.3% | $68,441 |
| 25 | North Carolina | 0.469 | ±0.003 | 17th–31st | Lower | −0.009 | 14.3% | 12.0% | $77,638 |
| 26 | Virginia | 0.469 | ±0.003 | 17th–32nd | Lower | Not significant | 11.7% | 19.8% | $99,322 |
| 27 | Nevada | 0.468 | ±0.008 | 14th–36th | Lower | Not significant | 12.7% | 13.4% | $85,198 |
| 28 | Missouri | 0.467 | ±0.006 | 17th–36th | Lower | Not significant | 14.7% | 10.3% | $75,485 |
| =29 | Arizona | 0.465 | ±0.004 | 22nd–36th | Lower | Not significant | 13.3% | 12.6% | $82,940 |
| =29 | Wyoming | 0.465 | ±0.021 | 6th–49th | Not significant | Not significant | 13.2% | 11.2% | $80,894 |
| 31 | Ohio | 0.465 | ±0.003 | 24th–36th | Lower | Not significant | 15.3% | 9.9% | $74,804 |
| 32 | Oregon | 0.461 | ±0.005 | 26th–41st | Lower | Not significant | 14.0% | 13.9% | $86,953 |
| 33 | Colorado | 0.460 | ±0.005 | 26th–42nd | Lower | Not significant | 11.0% | 18.8% | $99,729 |
| 34 | Maryland | 0.459 | ±0.004 | 30th–42nd | Lower | Not significant | 11.9% | 22.4% | $107,700 |
| 35 | Maine | 0.458 | ±0.009 | 26th–45th | Lower | Not significant | 13.9% | 11.6% | $81,760 |
| 36 | Montana | 0.457 | ±0.011 | 26th–49th | Lower | Not significant | 14.9% | 10.1% | $77,099 |
| 37 | Vermont | 0.457 | ±0.013 | 22nd–50th | Lower | Not significant | 12.9% | 13.0% | $86,018 |
| 38 | Kansas | 0.454 | ±0.006 | 31st–47th | Lower | Not significant | 12.8% | 11.1% | $77,824 |
| 39 | Nebraska | 0.454 | ±0.008 | 31st–49th | Lower | Not significant | 12.7% | 11.5% | $81,614 |
| 40 | Iowa | 0.453 | ±0.006 | 31st–49th | Lower | +0.018 | 14.2% | 9.5% | $76,483 |
| 41 | Hawaii | 0.452 | ±0.009 | 31st–50th | Lower | Not significant | 10.0% | 20.1% | $105,013 |
| 42 | Indiana | 0.452 | ±0.004 | 34th–49th | Lower | Not significant | 14.0% | 9.2% | $74,516 |
| 43 | Minnesota | 0.451 | ±0.005 | 34th–50th | Lower | Not significant | 11.2% | 14.8% | $92,297 |
| 44 | Wisconsin | 0.449 | ±0.005 | 34th–50th | Lower | +0.007 | 12.9% | 10.7% | $80,213 |
| 45 | South Dakota | 0.447 | ±0.012 | 32nd–51st | Lower | Not significant | 13.0% | 8.9% | $80,506 |
| 46 | North Dakota | 0.444 | ±0.011 | 35th–51st | Lower | Not significant | 13.0% | 10.8% | $81,545 |
| 47 | Idaho | 0.443 | ±0.008 | 36th–51st | Lower | Not significant | 12.3% | 11.2% | $84,234 |
| 48 | Delaware | 0.443 | ±0.009 | 36th–51st | Lower | Not significant | 11.9% | 14.7% | $92,520 |
| 49 | Alaska | 0.442 | ±0.012 | 35th–51st | Lower | Not significant | 10.5% | 16.5% | $95,220 |
| 50 | New Hampshire | 0.442 | ±0.008 | 41st–51st | Lower | Not significant | 9.9% | 20.1% | $106,759 |
| 51 | Utah | 0.435 | ±0.007 | 45th–51st | Lower | +0.013 | 10.1% | 16.1% | $99,311 |
| United States | 0.482 | ±0.001 | 14.0% | 14.8% | $84,780 |
Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B19083; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B19001; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B19013. Period: 2025. "=" marks a tie at the displayed precision. Rank range: the ranks consistent with the 90% margins of error (Census Bureau method). "Compared with US" and changes use the Census Bureau significance test at 90% confidence; "Not significant" means the difference is within the margins of error.
What the Gini index measures
The Gini index is, in the Census Bureau's words, "a summary measure of income inequality". It runs from zero, where every household has the same income, to one, where one household receives all of it. The values on this page come from the American Community Survey (ACS) for 2025 and measure the spread of household money income before taxes, within each state.
State values sit in a narrow band, from 0.435 in Utah to 0.519 in New York. The state in the middle of the list is at 0.469. Differences that look small are therefore meaningful: New York's index is 8% above the US figure (0.482), Utah's 10% below the US figure (0.482)1. Because the ACS is a sample survey, each value has a 90% margin of error, and the rank ranges in the table show which positions the data can actually support.
Five places significantly above the national figure
Only 5 places have incomes significantly more unequal than the country as a whole: New York, the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Louisiana and California. Massachusetts (0.486) and Florida (0.484) are next on the list but not statistically different from the US figure (0.482). At the other end, 361 states are significantly below it.
Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B19083. Whiskers show the 90% margin of error; states whose whiskers overlap may not differ significantly. Period: 2025.
Show the numbers
| State | Gini index | MOE |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 0.519 | ±0.003 |
| District of Columbia | 0.515 | ±0.012 |
| Connecticut | 0.496 | ±0.007 |
| Louisiana | 0.490 | ±0.006 |
| California | 0.489 | ±0.002 |
| Massachusetts | 0.486 | ±0.004 |
| Florida | 0.484 | ±0.003 |
| Arkansas | 0.483 | ±0.006 |
| United States | 0.482 | ±0.001 |
| New Mexico | 0.481 | ±0.010 |
| Alabama | 0.481 | ±0.005 |
| Illinois | 0.478 | ±0.004 |
| Mississippi | 0.478 | ±0.007 |
The national index is computed over all of the country's households together, not as an average of the states. It pools households from every state, so the distance between incomes in, say, Mississippi and Massachusetts counts toward national inequality but not toward either state's own index.
New York's lead holds among its neighbors: it is more unequal than every bordering state (Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont). Its rank lies between 1st and 2nd, shared only with DC. Connecticut (0.495, ±0.007) ranks between 3rd and 5th, Louisiana (0.490) between 3rd and 9th, and California (0.489) between 3rd and 8th1.
High-income and low-income routes to inequality
A high Gini index does not mean a state is rich or poor. The most unequal places reach their values in two different ways, visible in the share of households at each end of the income scale.
| New York | 0.519 ±0.003 | 15.7% ±0.3 | 18.6% ±0.3 | $89,210 ±$934 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 0.515 ±0.012 | 16.8% ±1.8 | 26.2% ±1.3 | $109,505 ±$7,573 |
| Connecticut | 0.496 ±0.007 | 11.6% ±0.6 | 20.5% ±0.5 | $100,056 ±$1,570 |
| Louisiana | 0.490 ±0.006 | 21.1% ±0.7 | 8.7% ±0.4 | $65,139 ±$1,183 |
| California | 0.489 ±0.002 | 12.4% ±0.2 | 21.7% ±0.2 | $102,159 ±$390 |
| Arkansas | 0.483 ±0.006 | 18.2% ±0.7 | 8.1% ±0.4 | $65,588 ±$976 |
| Mississippi | 0.478 ±0.007 | 21.5% ±0.9 | 6.2% ±0.4 | $59,346 ±$1,510 |
| New Hampshire | 0.442 ±0.008 | 9.9% ±0.8 | 20.1% ±0.8 | $106,759 ±$2,502 |
| Utah | 0.435 ±0.007 | 10.1% ±0.6 | 16.1% ±0.6 | $99,311 ±$2,056 |
| United States | 0.482 ±0.001 | 14.0% ±0.1 | 14.8% ±0.1 | $84,780 ±$215 |
Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B19083; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B19001; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B19013. ± is the 90% margin of error.
- Both ends heavy: New York and DC. In New York, 18.6% of households had income of $200,000 or more (3.8 percentage points above the US figure (14.8%)) and 15.7% had less than $25,000 (1.7 percentage points above the US figure (14.0%)). The District of Columbia has the largest top share in the country, 26.2%, together with 16.8% of households under $25,000.
- A large top: Connecticut and California. Their shares of households under $25,000 (11.6% and 12.4%) are below the national 14.0%, but about one household in five is above $200,000 (20.5% and 21.7%). Their median incomes, $100,056 and $102,159, are among the highest.
- A large bottom: Louisiana and Arkansas. Louisiana has 21.1% of households under $25,000 and only 8.7%2 over $200,000; its median, $65,139, is 3rd lowest3. Arkansas (0.4831) follows the same pattern.
Mississippi shows the limit of the measure. Its median household income, $59,346, is the lowest in the nation3, and it has the highest share of households under $25,000 (21.5%), yet its Gini index, 0.478, is not statistically different from the US figure (0.482)1. With only 6.2%2 of households above $200,000, the lowest share of any state, fewer incomes sit far above the rest. The index measures how unevenly income is shared, not how much there is.
The most equal states
The bottom of the list is not one kind of state either. Utah (0.435) and New Hampshire (0.442) combine high medians with few households at the bottom: New Hampshire has the lowest share of households under $25,000 (9.9%), Utah the 3rd lowest (10.1%2). Idaho (0.443) and North Dakota (0.4441) reach low values at a middle income level: medians of $84,234 and $81,5453, with about one household in nine above $200,000.
Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B19083. Whiskers show the 90% margin of error; states whose whiskers overlap may not differ significantly. Period: 2025.
Show the numbers
| State | Gini index | MOE |
|---|---|---|
| Indiana | 0.452 | ±0.004 |
| Minnesota | 0.451 | ±0.005 |
| Wisconsin | 0.449 | ±0.005 |
| South Dakota | 0.447 | ±0.012 |
| North Dakota | 0.444 | ±0.011 |
| Idaho | 0.443 | ±0.008 |
| Delaware | 0.443 | ±0.009 |
| Alaska | 0.442 | ±0.012 |
| New Hampshire | 0.442 | ±0.008 |
| Utah | 0.435 | ±0.007 |
Utah is less unequal than Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Wyoming; not statistically different from Idaho. Its rank lies between 45th and 51st. For the small states near the bottom the margins are wide: Alaska (0.442, ±0.012) ranks between 35th and 51st, Delaware (0.443) between 35th and 51st, and South Dakota (0.447) between 32nd and 51st1.
Region by region
- Northeast: the widest regional range, from New York (0.519) to New Hampshire (0.442), the most and one of the least unequal states in the country.
- South: from the District of Columbia (0.515) to Delaware (0.443). Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee are all among the 15 most unequal.
- West: from California (0.489) to Utah (0.435). New Mexico (0.481) is the only other Western state in the top ten.
- Midwest: every state is significantly below the national figure. The most unequal, Illinois (0.478), is 1% below the US figure (0.482), and the least unequal, North Dakota, is at 0.444. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska all have values of 0.4541 or lower.
Change from 2024 to 2025
The national index edged up from 0.481 in 2024, to 0.4821. In most states the change was within the margin of error. Seven states moved by a statistically significant amount:
- Up: Iowa (0.453, up from 0.436 in 2024), Utah (0.435, up from 0.422 in 2024), Arkansas (0.483, up from 0.472 in 2024), Wisconsin (0.449, up from 0.442 in 2024), California (0.489, up from 0.485 in 2024) and Florida (0.484, up from 0.480 in 2024).
- Down: North Carolina only (0.469, down from 0.478 in 20241).
Utah remained the most equal state despite its rise. New York's index was not statistically different from 0.519 in 20241. A single year of change is not a trend.
Top incomes on tax returns: a separate measure
The Gini index summarizes the whole distribution. The Internal Revenue Service measures the top directly: the share of all adjusted gross income reported on returns of $1 million or more, for tax year 2023. Nationally it was 16.6%5.
On this measure Wyoming leads at 29.8%, 13.2 percentage points above the US figure (16.6%), although its Gini index ranks between 6th and 49th1. Florida (26.4%) and Nevada (24.1%) are also near the top, and West Virginia is lowest (5.9%5). The two measures cover different units (tax returns, households), different income definitions and different years, so they rank states differently and are not combined here. The millionaires ranking has the tax-return figures for every state.
Before comparing states
- Income, not wealth. The index covers income received in the past 12 months. Savings, homes and other assets are not included.
- Money income before taxes. The ACS counts cash income such as earnings and benefits before tax and leaves out noncash benefits such as food stamps, so taxes and in-kind support do not change these values.
- Households, not people. A one-person household and a household of six count once each.
- Prices are not adjusted. The Gini index compares incomes within a state, but the income bands in the table are in 2025 dollars with no adjustment for state price differences; see the cost of living ranking.
- DC is a city. The District of Columbia has no rural areas, so its index is not directly comparable with that of a whole state.
- Small states, wide ranges. Wyoming's index is 0.465 (±0.021); its rank could be anywhere between 6th and 49th1. Read the rank range, not the point rank.
- States only. This site does not rank counties or cities.
Questions about the Gini index by state
Which state has the highest income inequality?
New York, with a Gini index of 0.519 (±0.003) in 2025. The District of Columbia, a single city, is at 0.515 with a wider margin of error (±0.012), so either could be first. New York is the most unequal of any state (the District of Columbia is higher)1.
Which state has the most equal income distribution?
Utah, at 0.435 (±0.007), 10% below the US figure (0.482). Its true rank lies between 45th and 51st1, so several other states, including New Hampshire, Alaska and Idaho, could also be the most equal.
What is the Gini coefficient of the United States?
0.482 (±0.001) for household income in 2025, according to the American Community Survey, up from 0.481 in 20241.
Is there a Gini index for every state by year?
The Census Bureau publishes a Gini index for each state every year in the American Community Survey. This page shows 2025 and the change from 2024; the next values, for 2026, are expected around September 2027.
Related rankings
Sources
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B19083; 2025; released October 29, 2026. data.census.gov
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B19001; 2025; released October 29, 2026. data.census.gov
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B19013; 2025; released October 29, 2026. data.census.gov
- Census Bureau, 2024 Cartographic Boundary Files; table cb_2024_us_state_20m; 2024; released April 10, 2025. www2.census.gov
- IRS Statistics of Income (SOI), SOI Tax Stats - Historic Table 2; Tax Year 2023 (individual income tax returns); released August 21, 2026. www.irs.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.