Worst Income Inequality

6. Mississippi
> Gini Coefficient: 0.470
> Median Income: $35,078 (Lowest)
> Households Earning $200,000+: 1.54% (Lowest)
> Population Living Below Poverty Line: 21.90% (Highest)

Mississippi has the greatest percentage of poor people in the nation, 21.9%.  The state has the greatest percentage of households making below $30,000 a year, 42.53%, and the smallest percentage of households making $200,000 or more, 1.54%.  Suffice it to say, poverty is a major issue in Mississippi and it is getting worse.  From 2007 to 2009, the state’s poverty rate increased from 20.6% to 21.9%.