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Median Household Income by U.S. State

October 15, 2025

By Niccolo Conte, Visual Capitalist

Key Takeaways

• Median household income by state in 2024 ranged from $59.1K in Mississippi to $109.7K in Washington D.C., revealing significant regional disparities.

• The top five states after the capital—Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, Hawaii, and California—all had median household incomes above $100K, over 20% higher than the U.S. national median household income.

• Across the United States, median household income by state varies widely depending on geography, industry mix, and cost of living.

The data shows a significant difference between high and low-income states, with nearly a $51,000 difference between Washington D.C. and the lowest-earning state of Mississippi which has a median household income of $59,127.

High-Earning States Concentrated on the Coasts

The states with the highest household earnings are heavily concentrated along the coasts, with Colorado being the highest-earning landlocked state at ninth on the list with $97,113. Utah is the next non-coastal state with a high level of household earnings at $96,658, ranking 10th overall.

The eight coastal states ahead of Colorado and Utah all had a median household income of at least $99,000, all at least 20% above the national median household income.

These coastal states benefit from robust technology, professional services, and government sectors that tend to offer higher-paying jobs, while also often having higher costs of living.

Southern States Lag Behind the National Median Income

States in the South continue to have many of the lowest household incomes in the U.S., often trailing significantly behind the national median of $81,604.

After Mississippi at $59,127, the next two lowest-earning states were West Virginia ($60,798) and Louisiana ($60,986).

Other states below $65,000 (20% below the national median) were Arkansas and Kentucky with $62,106 and $64,526 in median household income respectively.

While these figures are significantly below the national median, they do coincide with lower housing and living costs, providing a more balanced standard of living.