The US poverty rate is 12.5%, meaning approximately 40.7 million Americans live below the poverty line. But poverty is far from evenly distributed — the rate ranges from 7.2% in New Hampshire to 18.9% in Louisiana and Mississippi. This data comes directly from the Census Bureau API and is refreshed automatically each year when a new ACS 5-Year release is published.
National Poverty Snapshot
| Metric | 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates |
|---|---|
| Overall poverty rate | 12.5% |
| Child poverty rate (under 18) | 16.1% |
| Senior poverty rate (65+) | 10.8% |
| People below the poverty line | 40,735,661 |
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates, fetched 2026-08-25.
Poverty Rate by State — Full Ranking
The table below ranks all 50 states plus DC by overall poverty rate, along with the child (under 18) and senior (65+) poverty rates for each.
| Rank | State | Poverty Rate | Child Poverty Rate | Senior Poverty Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisiana | 18.9% | 25.4% | 14.6% |
| 2 | Mississippi | 18.9% | 26% | 14.6% |
| 3 | New Mexico | 17.8% | 24% | 13.4% |
| 4 | West Virginia | 16.7% | 21.5% | 12% |
| 5 | Kentucky | 16.1% | 20.3% | 12.8% |
| 6 | Arkansas | 16% | 21.1% | 11.8% |
| 7 | Alabama | 15.6% | 21.3% | 12% |
| 8 | District of Columbia | 15.4% | 22.8% | 15.3% |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 15.3% | 20.1% | 10.7% |
| 10 | South Carolina | 14.1% | 19.4% | 11% |
| 11 | New York | 14% | 18.3% | 13.3% |
| 12 | Tennessee | 13.8% | 18.8% | 11% |
| 13 | Texas | 13.8% | 18.7% | 12.1% |
| 14 | Georgia | 13.4% | 18.3% | 11.3% |
| 15 | Ohio | 13.3% | 17.8% | 10% |
| 16 | Michigan | 13.2% | 17.6% | 9.9% |
| 17 | North Carolina | 13% | 17.7% | 10.6% |
| 18 | Florida | 12.6% | 16.5% | 11.8% |
| 19 | Missouri | 12.6% | 15.8% | 10.4% |
| 20 | Arizona | 12.5% | 16.2% | 10.3% |
| 21 | Nevada | 12.4% | 16.3% | 10.8% |
| 22 | Indiana | 12.3% | 16% | 9.1% |
| 23 | California | 12% | 15% | 11.6% |
| 24 | Oregon | 11.9% | 13.2% | 9.9% |
| 25 | South Dakota | 11.9% | 14.3% | 10% |
| 26 | Illinois | 11.8% | 15.1% | 10.4% |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | 11.7% | 15.6% | 9.9% |
| 28 | Montana | 11.5% | 12.7% | 9.9% |
| 29 | Kansas | 11.3% | 13.1% | 8.8% |
| 30 | Rhode Island | 11.2% | 13.7% | 11% |
| 31 | Iowa | 11.1% | 12.9% | 8.4% |
| 32 | North Dakota | 10.8% | 11.1% | 9.9% |
| 33 | Maine | 10.7% | 13.1% | 9.4% |
| 34 | Idaho | 10.6% | 12.4% | 8.9% |
| 35 | Nebraska | 10.6% | 12% | 9.2% |
| 36 | Wisconsin | 10.6% | 12.8% | 9.1% |
| 37 | Wyoming | 10.5% | 11.7% | 8.2% |
| 38 | Delaware | 10.4% | 15% | 7.6% |
| 39 | Alaska | 10.1% | 12.2% | 8.3% |
| 40 | Vermont | 10.1% | 10.8% | 8.7% |
| 41 | Connecticut | 10% | 13% | 8.8% |
| 42 | Hawaii | 10% | 12.1% | 9.2% |
| 43 | Massachusetts | 10% | 11.7% | 10.7% |
| 44 | Virginia | 9.9% | 12.3% | 8.8% |
| 45 | Washington | 9.9% | 11.6% | 8.9% |
| 46 | New Jersey | 9.7% | 13% | 9.7% |
| 47 | Colorado | 9.4% | 11.1% | 8.4% |
| 48 | Maryland | 9.4% | 11.5% | 9.5% |
| 49 | Minnesota | 9.3% | 10.3% | 8.8% |
| 50 | Utah | 8.5% | 8.8% | 7.5% |
| 51 | New Hampshire | 7.2% | 7.9% | 7.7% |
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates, fetched 2026-08-25. Ranked by overall poverty rate, highest to lowest.
Why Poverty Rates Vary So Much by State
Several factors explain the wide gap between the highest- and lowest-poverty states:
- Industry mix — States dependent on lower-wage agricultural, extraction, or service industries (Mississippi, Louisiana, West Virginia) tend to have higher poverty rates than states with concentrations of finance, tech, or federal-government employment.
- Educational attainment — States with lower rates of bachelor’s-degree attainment generally have higher poverty rates, since education is one of the strongest predictors of income.
- Household structure — States with higher rates of single-parent households tend to have higher poverty rates, since one-earner households are more vulnerable to poverty.
- Cost of living — The federal poverty threshold does not adjust for regional cost differences, so this data understates real hardship in high-cost states and can overstate it in low-cost states. See our federal poverty level by household size guide for the actual dollar thresholds.
Child Poverty Is Consistently Higher Than the Overall Rate
The national child poverty rate (16.1%) is meaningfully higher than the overall poverty rate (12.5%), a pattern that holds in nearly every state. Children are more likely to live in single-earner or no-earner households, and family size increases the income needed to stay above the poverty threshold.
Senior Poverty Is Lower Than the Overall Rate, But Not Zero
At 10.8% nationally, the senior (65+) poverty rate is lower than the overall rate, largely because Social Security provides a income floor most working-age adults don’t have. Still, more than 1 in 10 seniors live below the poverty line, and rates vary significantly by state.
Related Guides
- Poverty in America: Statistics, Thresholds & Trends — historical trends, poverty by age/race/family type
- Federal Poverty Level by Household Size — the actual dollar thresholds used for benefit eligibility
- US Median Household Income by State
- Income Percentile by State
The content on Wealthvieu is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, tax, or investment advice. Consult a qualified professional before making financial decisions. Full disclaimer · Editorial policy