AMERICA’S INCOME LADDER
HOW THE RULING CLASS DEFEATED THE MIDDLE
Think of income like a ladder.
The bottom step represents the poverty threshold.
The next step up represents full-time minimum wage income.
The very center of the ladder represents median income.
At the top is the highest incomes.
First – an index showing the median household income in each state.
In darker states, the median household income is higher. In lighter states, the median household income is lower.
In darker states, the middle of the income ladder is higher compared to lighter states.
S T A T S
top 12 // highest
1. Maryland: $94,384
2. Washington, D.C.: $88,311
3. New Hampshire: $88,235
4. Massachusetts: $86,725
5. New Jersey: $85,239
6. Utah: $83,670
7. Colorado: $82,611
8. Virginia: $81,947
9. Washington: $81,083
10. Hawaii: $80,729
11. Rhode Island: $80,012
12. Connecticut: $79,043
middle
Wisconsin: $67,094
household median [U.S. avg.]
$68,310
lowest 10-year difference
New Mexico: +$5,688
highest 10-year difference
Washington, D.C.: +$31,383
bottom 12 // lowest
1. Mississippi: $44,966
2. Arkansas: $50,540
3. New Mexico: $50,822
4. Louisiana: $50,935
5. West Virginia: $51,615
6. Oklahoma: $52,341
7. Alabama: $54,393
8. Tennessee: $54,665
9. Montana: $56,442
10. Kentucky: $56,525
11. Florida: $57,435
12. Georgia: $58,952
GROWTH/LOSS [2019-2020]
This map shows how income shifted around the U.S. between 2019 and 2020.
Darker states lost more income; lighter states gained more income.
top 12 // biggest growth
Colorado: +$10,112
Rhode Island: +$9,861
South Dakota: +$5,532
Iowa: +$2,415
Georgia: +$2,324
Oregon: +$2,141
New Hampshire: +$1,335
Missouri: +$1,304
Kentucky: +$863
Texas: +$649
Virginia: +$634
Idaho: +$511
bottom 12 // biggest loss
Nevada: –$9,950
Connecticut: –$8,248
Vermont: –$7,403
Hawaii: –$7,277
Oklahoma: –$7,056
North Dakota: –$6,374
Delaware: –$5,062
Washington, D.C.: –$4,800
Ohio: –$4,553
Arizona: –$4,046
Arkansas: –$3,999
Alaska: –$3,918
SENATORS CLIMB THE INCOME LADDER
This interactive chart compares incomes between minimum wage full-timers [yellow], median income earners [green], and U.S. Senators [purple].
This chart shows those same incomes adjusted to the U.S. dollar’s value in 2021
Note the major decline of median individual income since 1966.
Note how pay in the U.S. Senate kept up with inflation better than median individual income.
In 1980, median income earners made $44,701.50 — worth $150,785.10 today.
Things that median income earners could afford are now out of reach for people earning that same amount today.