- The United States’ superrich population contributes to the country’s huge wealth disparity, as the 1% earns a massive amount of their states’ total incomes.
- According to data from the Economic Policy Institute, the amount of income in each state earned by the 1% ranges from 11.3% to 31.0%.
- Additionally – depending on state – the top tier can earn between 12 and 44 times more than the rest of the population.
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It’s no secret that the 1% earns vast sums of money – even US billionaires acknowledge the country’s dangerous wealth divide.
We looked at data from the Economic Policy Institute to see the amount of income in each state earned by the top tier. These numbers included states with notoriously wealthy populations (such as New York and California), as well as states like North Dakota, who just welcomed their first billionaire.
Read more: Here’s the income it takes for a family to be part of the 1% in every state
According to the Economic Policy Institute, the national average annual income of the top 1% is $1,316,985 while the average income of the rest of the population is only $50,107. This means the top 1% earns 26.3 times more than the bottom 99%. In New York – a city getting too expensive for even Wall Street bankers – the top 1% earns 44.4 times more.
Business Insider's Dion Rabouin previously reported that the 1% has so much money they don't know what to do with it. Rabouin reported that the 1% holds $303.9 billion - a record amount of earnings according to April numbers. Additionally, Business Insider's Hillary Hoffower reported that this income inequality in the US - spurred in part by dynastic wealth - is only getting worse.
INSIDER's data team used statistics from the Economic Policy Institute to find the average income of the 1% in each state (including Washington, DC), along with the average income of the rest of the state's population. We also listed the state's income ratio, which answers the question, "How many more times the income do the top 1% make over the bottom 99%?"
Keep reading for a look at the percent of state income taken home by the 1% in the United States, ordered from least to greatest:
Additional reporting from Angela Wang.
Income taken home by the 1% in Alaska: 11.3%
Average income of the top 1%: $910,059 Average income of the bottom 99%: $71,876
Income ratio: 12.7
Income taken home by the 1% in Hawaii: 12.2%
Average income of the top 1%: $797,001 Average income of the bottom 99%: $57,987
Income ratio: 13.7
Income taken home by the 1% in Iowa: 12.9%
Average income of the top 1%: $788,419 Average income of the bottom 99%: $53,753
Income ratio: 14.7
Income taken home by the 1% in West Virginia: 13.4%
Average income of the top 1%: $535,648 Average income of the bottom 99%: $34,987
Income ratio: 15.3
Income taken home by the 1% in Maine: 13.5%
Average income of the top 1%: $655,870 Average income of the bottom 99%: $42,575
Income ratio: 15.4
Income taken home by the 1% in New Mexico: 13.5%
Average income of the top 1%: $615,082 Average income of the bottom 99%: $39,675
Income ratio: 15.5
Income taken home by the 1% in North Dakota: 13.8%
Average income of the top 1%: $1,080,845 Average income of the bottom 99%: $68,316
Income ratio: 15.8
Income taken home by the 1% in Vermont: 14.1%
Average income of the top 1%: $816,579 Average income of the bottom 99%: $50,283
Income ratio: 16.2
Income taken home by the 1% in Nebraska: 14.1%
Average income of the top 1%: $945,869 Average income of the bottom 99%: $58,013
Income ratio: 16.3
Income taken home by the 1% in Mississippi: 14.2%
Average income of the top 1%: $580,461 Average income of the bottom 99%: $35,353
Income ratio: 16.4
Income taken home by the 1% in Delaware: 14.7%
Average income of the top 1%: $869,461 Average income of the bottom 99%: $51,049
Income ratio: 17.0
Income taken home by the 1% in Indiana: 14.9%
Average income of the top 1%: $804,275 Average income of the bottom 99%: $46,501
Income ratio: 17.3
Income taken home by the 1% in Idaho: 14.9%
Average income of the top 1%: $829,268 Average income of the bottom 99%: $47,727
Income ratio: 17.4
Income taken home by the 1% in Virginia: 15.1%
Average income of the top 1%: $1,109,984 Average income of the bottom 99%: $62,844
Income ratio: 17.7
Income taken home by the 1% in Oklahoma: 15.2%
Average income of the top 1%: $932,520 Average income of the bottom 99%: $52,533
Income ratio: 17.8
Income taken home by the 1% in Maryland: 15.3%
Average income of the top 1%: $1,135,718 Average income of the bottom 99%: $63,656
Income ratio: 17.8
Income taken home by the 1% in New Hampshire: 15.4%
Average income of the top 1%: $1,134,101 Average income of the bottom 99%: $62,796
Income ratio: 18.1
Income taken home by the 1% in Louisiana: 15.4%
Average income of the top 1%: $814,386 Average income of the bottom 99%: $45,060
Income ratio: 18.1
Income taken home by the 1% in Rhode Island: 15.5%
Average income of the top 1%: $928,204 Average income of the bottom 99%: $50,963
Income ratio: 18.2
Income taken home by the 1% in Kansas: 15.6%
Average income of the top 1%: $1,034,676 Average income of the bottom 99%: $56,628
Income ratio: 18.3
Income taken home by the 1% in Kentucky: 15.7%
Average income of the top 1%: $719,012 Average income of the bottom 99%: $38,990
Income ratio: 18.4
Income taken home by the 1% in Ohio: 15.8%
Average income of the top 1%: $858,965 Average income of the bottom 99%: $46,157
Income ratio: 18.6
Income taken home by the 1% in Wisconsin: 16.0%
Average income of the top 1%: $964,358 Average income of the bottom 99%: $50,953
Income ratio: 18.9
Income taken home by the 1% in Montana: 16.1%
Average income of the top 1%: $855,976 Average income of the bottom 99%: $45,197
Income ratio: 18.9
Income taken home by the 1% in Alabama: 16.3%
Average income of the top 1%: $743,644 Average income of the bottom 99%: $38,587
Income ratio: 19.3
Income taken home by the 1% in South Carolina: 16.6%
Average income of the top 1%: $761,185 Average income of the bottom 99%: $38,646
Income ratio: 19.7
Income taken home by the 1% in Utah: 16.6%
Average income of the top 1%: $1,057,066 Average income of the bottom 99%: $53,614
Income ratio: 19.7
Income taken home by the 1% in Oregon: 16.6%
Average income of the top 1%: $908,898 Average income of the bottom 99%: $46,090
Income ratio: 19.7
Income taken home by the 1% in South Dakota: 16.8%
Average income of the top 1%: $1,130,048 Average income of the bottom 99%: $56,610
Income ratio: 20.0
Income taken home by the 1% in North Carolina: 17.2%
Average income of the top 1%: $902,972 Average income of the bottom 99%: $43,850
Income ratio: 20.6
Income taken home by the 1% in Colorado: 17.2%
Average income of the top 1%: $1,261,053 Average income of the bottom 99%: $61,165
Income ratio: 20.6
Income taken home by the 1% in Minnesota: 17.4%
Average income of the top 1%: $1,185,581 Average income of the bottom 99%: $56,728
Income ratio: 20.9
Income taken home by the 1% in Arizona: 17.5%
Average income of the top 1%: $882,657 Average income of the bottom 99%: $42,000
Income ratio: 21.0
Income taken home by the 1% in Missouri: 17.6%
Average income of the top 1%: $944,804 Average income of the bottom 99%: $44,650
Income ratio: 21.2
Income taken home by the 1% in Tennessee: 17.8%
Average income of the top 1%: $947,021 Average income of the bottom 99%: $44,219
Income ratio: 21.4
Income taken home by the 1% in Michigan: 17.8%
Average income of the top 1%: $917,701 Average income of the bottom 99%: $42,825
Income ratio: 21.4
Income taken home by the 1% in Pennsylvania: 18.0%
Average income of the top 1%: $1,100,962 Average income of the bottom 99%: $50,830
Income ratio: 21.7
Income taken home by the 1% in Arkansas: 18.5%
Average income of the top 1%: $864,772 Average income of the bottom 99%: $38,472
Income ratio: 22.5
Income taken home by the 1% in Georgia: 18.6%
Average income of the top 1%: $995,576 Average income of the bottom 99%: $44,147
Income ratio: 22.6
Income taken home by the 1% in Texas: 19.6%
Average income of the top 1%: $1,343,897 Average income of the bottom 99%: $55,614
Income ratio: 24.2
Income taken home by the 1% in Washington: 19.7%
Average income of the top 1%: $1,383,223 Average income of the bottom 99%: $57,100
Income ratio: 24.2
Income taken home by the 1% in New Jersey: 24.3%
Average income of the top 1%: $1,581,829 Average income of the bottom 99%: $65,068
Income ratio: 19.7%
Income taken home by the 1% in Illinois: 21.5%
Average income of the top 1%: $1,412,024 Average income of the bottom 99%: $52,216
Income ratio: 27.0
Income taken home by the 1% in the District of Columbia: 23.5%%
Average income of the top 1%: $1,858,878 Average income of the bottom 99%: $61,102
Income ratio: 30.4
Income taken home by the 1% in California: 23.7%
Average income of the top 1%: $1,693,094 Average income of the bottom 99%: $55,152
Income ratio: 30.7
Income taken home by the 1% in Massachusetts: 23.8%
Average income of the top 1%: $1,904,805 Average income of the bottom 99%: $61,694
Income ratio: 30.9
Income taken home by the 1% in Wyoming: 24.0%
Average income of the top 1%: $1,900,659 Average income of the bottom 99%: $60,922
Income ratio: 31.2
Income taken home by the 1% in Nevada: 24.8%
Average income of the top 1%: $1,354,780 Average income of the bottom 99%: $41,470
Income ratio: 32.7
Income taken home by the 1% in Connecticut: 27.3%
Average income of the top 1%: $2,522,806 Average income of the bottom 99%: $67,742
Income ratio: 37.2
Income taken home by the 1% in Florida: 28.5%
Average income of the top 1%: $1,543,124 Average income of the bottom 99%: $39,094
Income ratio:39.5
Income taken home by the 1% in New York: 31.0%
Average income of the top 1%: $2,202,480 Average income of the bottom 99%: $49,617
Income ratio: 44.4