Maryland ranked the richest state in the U.S., with Mississippi in last place as the poorest

Maryland is the richest state in the union, with a median household income of $70,004, a cool $20k about the national average.
The U.S. South continues to lag behind with Mississippi's median income of $36,919 putting the state at the lowest in the country.
According to the data from the 2011 American Community Survey (ACS) conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, nationwide household income in the U.S. has dropped as the economy continues to struggle - with census data showing decrease of  1.3 per cent from $51,144 in 2010 to $50,502 in 2011/

 

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While states like Maryland, Alaska and New Jersey among the higher earning states, the wealth gap is growing as Southern states like Arkansas and and West Virgina, reported income significantly lower than the national average.
The new 2011 census figures released Thursday show tepid progress in an economic recovery that technically began in mid-2009.

 

The annual survey, supplemented with unpublished government figures as of March 2012, covers a year in which unemployment fell modestly from 9.6 per cent to 8.9 per cent. 
Not all is well, however. The jobless rate remains high at 8.1 per cent. While housing sales have more recently gained, home ownership last year dropped for a fifth straight year to 64.6 per cent, the lowest in more than a decade, due to stringent financing rules and a shift to renting.
More Americans than ever are turning to food stamps, while residents in housing that is considered 'crowded' held steady at 1 per cent, tied for the highest since 2003.

POOREST STATES

1. Mississippi: $36,919
2. West Virginia: $38,482
3. Kentucky: $41,141
4. Alabama: $41,415
5. Tennessee: $41,693

Income inequality varied widely by region.
The gap between rich and poor was most evident in the District of Columbia, New York, Connecticut, Louisiana and New Mexico, where immigrant or minority groups were more numerous.
Median household income dropped in fewer U.S. states last year than in 2010, with 18 registering a fall and one state - Vermont - notching an increase, the Census Bureau said on Thursday.
Vermont's 4 per cent rise in median household income last year was the first shown by a state since 2009, the Census Bureau said in its breakdown of income, poverty and insurance.
The biggest decline in median household income was a 6 per cent downturn in Nevada, one of the states hardest hit by the collapse in housing prices.
Household income had dropped in 35 states in the 2010 ACS.
Among states whose electoral votes could decide the November presidential election, four - Nevada, Ohio, North Carolina and Florida - showed declines in household income.

RICHEST STATES

1. Maryland:  $70,004
2. Alaska:  $67,825
3. New Jersey:  $67,458
4. Connecticut: $65,753
5. District of Columbia: $63,124

Census data showed the poverty rate was stable at 15 per cent.
Among states, New Hampshire had the lowest poverty rate, at 8.8 per cent, and Mississippi had the highest, with 22.6 per cent, the Census Bureau said.
As for big metropolitan areas, the Washington region had the lowest percentage of poor people with 8.3 per cent. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas had the highest at almost 38 percent.
In terms of insurance, no state showed a decline in the insured rate for people ages 19 to 25 from 2009 to 2011. Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia had an increase in coverage.