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 in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is most often used by the government of a single country to measure its economic health. Due to its complex and subjective nature, this measure is often revised before being considered a reliable indicator.
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Los Alamos County is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,419. The smallest county by area in the state, Los Alamos County was formerly administered exclusively by the U.S. federal government during the Manhattan Project, but it now has equal status to New Mexico's other counties. The county has two census-designated places: Los Alamos and White Rock.
Atkinson County is a county located in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 8,286. The county seat is Pearson. The county was formed in 1917 from parts of Coffee and Clinch counties. It is named for William Yates Atkinson, Democratic governor of Georgia from 1894 to 1898. In 2003, it had the highest illiteracy rate of any U.S. county at 36%.
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for the average adult. The cost of housing, such as the rent for an apartment, usually makes up the largest proportion of this estimate, so economists track the real estate market and other housing cost indicators as a major influence on the poverty line. Individual factors are often used to account for various circumstances, such as whether one is a parent, elderly, a child, married, etc. The poverty threshold may be adjusted annually. In practice, like the definition of poverty, the official or common understanding of the poverty line is significantly higher in developed countries than in developing countries.
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 US Census 2021 data US mean per capita income is $37,683 while median household income is around $69,021.US Census Gov 2017-2021
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 $1,037 for full-time workers in the United States in Q1 2022. For the year 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the median annual earnings for all workers was $41,535; and more specifically estimates that median annual earnings for those who worked full-time, year round, was $56,287.
The economy of the Commonwealth of Virginia is well balanced with diverse sources of income. From the Hampton Roads area to Richmond and down to Lee County in the southwest includes military installations, cattle, tobacco and peanut farming in Southside Virginia. Tomatoes recently surpassed soy as the most profitable crop in Virginia. Tobacco, peanuts and hay are also important agricultural products from the commonwealth. Wineries and vineyards in the Northern Neck and along the Blue Ridge Mountains also have become increasingly popular. Northern Virginia hosts software, communications, consulting, defense contracting, diplomats, and considerable components of the professional government sector. As of the 2000 census, Virginia had the highest number of counties and independent cities (15) in the top 100 wealthiest jurisdictions in the United States based upon median income, in addition, Virginia tied with Colorado as having the most counties (10) in the top 100 based on per capita income. Loudoun and Fairfax counties in Northern Virginia have the highest and second highest median household income, respectively, of all counties in the United States as of 2017.
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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