These are lists of the lowest-income counties in the United States, based on measures of per capita personal income and median household income. This article lists counties by per capita personal income (PCPI), a more comprehensive measurement of an individual's income than per capita income (PCI).
Two common measurements of the average annual income of individuals in the United States are: per capita income (PCI) and per capita personal income (PCPI). Per capita personal income is the more comprehensive of the two measures, and thus PCPI for an individual, county, or state will be higher than PCI. The following table is a listing of counties by PCPI.
| Rank | County / Parish | State | Median household income (2022) [2] |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | McDowell County |  West Virginia | $28,972 |
2 | Buffalo County |  South Dakota | $30,659 |
3 | East Carroll Parish |  Louisiana | $30,688 |
4 | Holmes County |  Mississippi | $31,972 |
5 | Owsley County |  Kentucky | $32,783 |
6 | Monroe County |  Arkansas | $33,090 |
7 | Humphreys County | Mississippi | $33,148 |
8 | Tensas Parish | Louisiana | $33,290 |
9 | Madison Parish | Louisiana | $33,403 |
10 | Perry County |  Alabama | $33,585 |
11 | Wilcox County | Alabama | $33,682 |
12 | Jefferson County | Mississippi | $33,852 |
13 | Bell County | Kentucky | $33,923 |
14 | Martin County | Kentucky | $34,435 |
15 | Clay County | Kentucky | $34,473 |
16 | Lee County | Kentucky | $34,632 |
17 | Sumter County | Alabama | $35,152 |
18 | Lee County | Arkansas | $35,213 |
19 | Allendale County |  South Carolina | $35,249 |
20 | Dallas County | Alabama | $35,258 |
21 | Brooks County |  Texas | $35,359 |
22 | McCreary County | Kentucky | $35,443 |
23 | Greene County | Alabama | $35,449 |
24 | Leflore County | Mississippi | $35,520 |
25 | Claiborne County | Mississippi | $35,591 |
26 | Magoffin County | Kentucky | $35,669 |
27 | Starr County | Texas | $35,758 |
28 | Mingo County | West Virginia | $35,761 |
29 | Bullock County | Alabama | $35,798 |
30 | Wheeler County |  Georgia | $35,952 |
31 | Harlan County | Kentucky | $36,022 |
32 | Coahoma County | Mississippi | $36,071 |
33 | Phillips County | Arkansas | $36,098 |
34 | Conecuh County | Alabama | $36,106 |
35 | Zavala County | Texas | $36,237 |
36 | Breathitt County | Kentucky | $36,300 |
37 | Sharkey County | Mississippi | $36,375 |
38 | Knox County | Kentucky | $36,573 |
39 | Macon County | Alabama | $36,601 |
40 | Noxubee County | Mississippi | $36,608 |
41 | Jefferson Davis County | Mississippi | $36,642 |
42 | Leslie County | Kentucky | $36,666 |
43 | Wilkinson County | Mississippi | $36,798 |
44 | Issaquena County | Mississippi | $36,922 |
45 | Costilla County |  Colorado | $36,970 |
46 | Marion County | South Carolina | $37,244 |
47 | Floyd County | Kentucky | $37,296 |
48 | Tunica County | Mississippi | $37,694 |
49 | Wolfe County | Kentucky | $37,718 |
50 | Dillon County | South Carolina | $37,752 |
Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic health of a country or region. Definitions of GDP are maintained by several national and international economic organizations, such as the OECD and the International Monetary Fund.
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area in a specified year.
Teton County is a county in the U.S. state of Wyoming. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 23,331. Its county seat is Jackson. Its west boundary line is also the Wyoming state boundary shared with Idaho and the southern tip of Montana. Teton County is part of the Jackson, WY-ID Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Lee County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 16,531, making it the fifth-least populous county in South Carolina. Its county seat is Bishopville.
Hampton County is a rural county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,561. Its county seat is Hampton. It was named for Confederate Civil War general Wade Hampton, who in the late 1870s, with the ending of Reconstruction, was elected as governor of South Carolina.
Dillon County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 28,292. The county seat is Dillon.
Barnwell County is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 20,589. It is located in the Central Savannah River Area. Its county seat is Barnwell.
Household income is an economic standard that can be applied to one household, or aggregated across a large group such as a county, city, or the whole country. It is commonly used by the United States government and private institutions to describe a household's economic status or to track economic trends in the US.
As per United States Census Bureau 2022 data, the mean per capita income in the United States is $37,683, while median household income is around $69,021.
Income in the United States is measured by the various federal agencies including the Internal Revenue Service, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Commerce, and the US Census Bureau. Additionally, various agencies, including the Congressional Budget Office compile reports on income statistics. The primary classifications are by household or individual. The top quintile in personal income in 2019 was $103,012. The differences between household and personal income are considerable, since 61% of households now have two or more income earners.
Personal income is an individual's total earnings from wages, investment interest, and other sources. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a median weekly personal income of $1,139 for full-time workers in the United States in Q1 2024. For the year 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the median annual earnings for all workers was $47,960; and more specifically estimates that median annual earnings for those who worked full-time, year round, was $60,070.
In the United States, poverty has both social and political implications. In 2020, there were 37.2 million people in poverty. Some of the many causes include income, inequality, inflation, unemployment, debt traps and poor education. The majority of adults living in poverty are employed and have at least a high school education. Although the US is a relatively wealthy country by international standards, it has a persistently high poverty rate compared to other developed countries due in part to a less generous welfare system.
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