Poorest State In America Is Mississippi -Report

Mississippi is the poorest state in America, according to data from U.S. Census Bureau.

Based on its 2011 American Community Survey, the poorest state in the U.S. has median household income of $36,919. Mississippi also holds the nation's highest poverty rate, at 22.6 percent of residents, compared with the national rate of 15.9 percent.

Income by state (U.S. Census Bureau)

Unemployment rate in the Magnolia State also rose by 0.2 percentage points, one of only two states to see an increase in unemployment between 2010 and 2011. It is now at 10.7 percent, the country's 4th highest unemployment rate.

It was also found out that 7.8 percent of Mississippi families made less than $10,000 in 2011, which was also the lowest rate in the country.

Joining Mississippi in the top 10 poorest states are West Virginia (with a mean household income of $38,482), Arkansas ($38,758), Kentucky ($41,141), Alabama ($41,4156), Tennessee ($41,693), Louisiana ($41,734), New Mexico ($41,963), South Carolina ($42,367), and Oklahoma ($43,225).

The top 10 states with the highest mean income include Maryland ($70,004), Alaska ($67,825), New Jersey ($67,458), Connecticut ($65,753), District of Columbia ($63,124), New Hampshire ($62,647), Virginia ($61,882), Hawaii ($61,821), Delaware ($58,814), and California ($57,287).

Overall, the median household income in the United States is $50,502, which is 1.3 per cent lower than the 2010 survey.