Among similarly developed economies, the United States stands out as having a particularly high economic power. level of incomeinequality. The United States ranks among the wealthiest nations in the world, but the problem is exacerbated with more than one in 10 of her American citizens living below the poverty line.

Between 2020 and 2021, the most recent year for available data, the number of Americans living below the poverty line increased. from 38.4 From 1 million to 41.4 million. The 7.9% year-on-year increase marks a break from a decade-long trend of poverty reduction.

The US poverty line is now at $14,580 per year for individuals and $30,000 for businesses per year.Millie out of four – wiAlaska and Hawaii have slightly higher thresholds. The impact of living on such low incomes is far-reaching and potentially devastating. People living in poverty often struggle to meet basic needs such as food, shelter and medical care. In addition, stress caused by persistent poverty can negatively affect mental health and lead to increased incidence of depression, anxiety disorders and substance abuse.

Based on five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey, 12.6% of Americans across the country live below the poverty line. But in communities across the country, poverty is far more prevalent and deeply entrenched.

24/7 Wall Street used 2021 ACS data to identify the counties or county equivalents with the highest poverty rates in each state.

Counties on this list have poverty rates ranging from 11.5% to over 50%. Although some counties, located primarily in higher-income states, have lower poverty rates than the national average, all counties on this list have higher concentrations of poverty than the state as a whole.

In the United States, income tends to increase as educational attainment increases, as does economic stability. The counties on this list, and the majority of their counties, have below the statewide average for the percentage of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher. (Here let’s see highest paying college majors. )

Employment opportunities are also often somewhat limited in these counties. All but nine counties on this list have higher unemployment rates than the state as a whole. (Here let’s see The industry that lays off the most workers.)

Click here to see the counties with the highest poverty rates in each state.

Click here for detailed methodology.