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The average U.S. state is made up of 62 counties.
With so many counties spread throughout each state in the nation, it’s not surprising that we can find counties that exemplify almost any part of the American experience.
In this case, we’re comparing county-level data to look at the differences in economic opportunity within each state. More specifically, we are looking at the range of median household income, which is one proxy for the difference in economic status between counties.
DISPARITY BY STATE
Today’s infographic comes to us from TitleMax, and it looks at the wealthiest and poorest counties in each individual U.S. state based on the measure of median household income.
Here are the five states with the biggest disparity between rich and poor counties:
1. Virginia: $102,800
Loudoun is about an hour’s drive to D.C., and it also happens to be the richest county in the U.S. in terms of median income. Further west in the state, bordering Kentucky and West Virginia, lies Buchanan County, which has a median household income of just $31,800.
| County Name | Median Income | |
|---|---|---|
| Differential | $102,800 | |
| Richest | Loudoun | $134,600 |
| Poorest | Buchanan | $31,800 |
2. New Mexico: $86,500
In Los Alamos, known as the birthplace of the atomic bomb, median household income has exploded to $114,700 – meanwhile, along the Mexico border lies Luna, the poorest county in the state.
| County Name | Median Income | |
|---|---|---|
| Differential | $86,500 | |
| Richest | Los Alamos | $114,700 |
| Poorest | Luna | $28,200 |
3. Colorado: $85,200
Just like the Colorado has a difference in elevation, it also holds a large difference in median income. Folks in Douglas County, which lies between Denver and Colorado Springs, take home $112,400 in income on average, while folks in Costilla bring in about $27,200 per year.
| County Name | Median Income | |
|---|---|---|
| Differential | $85,200 | |
| Richest | Douglas | $112,400 |
| Poorest | Costilla | $27,200 |
4. Maryland: $80,900
Howard County, which lies between Baltimore and Washington D.C., has the highest median household income in the state. Meanwhile, it’s Somerset County at the south of the Delmarva Peninsula that has the lowest.
| County Name | Median Income | |
|---|---|---|
| Differential | $80,900 | |
| Richest | Howard | $119,400 |
| Poorest | Somerset | $38,500 |
5. Tennessee: $79,700
Just to the south of the Music City sits Williamson County – a wealthy part of the state with $107,900 in median income. Hancock County is the poorest, and it’s tucked away in the northeast corner of the state.
| County Name | Median Income | |
|---|---|---|
| Differential | $79,700 | |
| Richest | Williamson | $107,900 |
| Poorest | Hancock | $28,200 |
A NOTE ON COST OF LIVING
While median household income can help point to disparities between counties, it is just one indicator.
It’s worth noting that the cost of living can often be cheaper in counties with lower median incomes, and this can partially offset the difference in some instances. For example, while Trinity County is the poorest county in California by median income, it’s also far away from San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Sacramento, and has a much cheaper cost of living and a different way of life.
In some ways it is comparing apples to oranges. Trinity County is completely rural, holds zero incorporated cities, and holds just 3,600 people in its largest community (Weaverville) – a far cry from the urban sprawl of L.A. or the booming Bay Area.