US States · Gini index

US States by Income Inequality (Gini Index) (2024)

Data: 2024 ACS 1-year estimates Updated: Source: U.S. Census Bureau CSV

The Gini index summarises how evenly household income is spread on a scale from 0 (every household has the same income) to 1 (one household has all of it). It is the most widely used single number for income inequality.

District of Columbia has the most unequal income distribution with a Gini index of 0.524, while Utah is the most equal at 0.422. The US figure is 0.481.

Key facts

Highest

  1. 1District of Columbia0.524
  2. 2New York0.519
  3. 3Connecticut0.499

Lowest

  1. 51Utah0.422
  2. 50Idaho0.435
  3. 49Iowa0.436
United States
0.481
Median of 51 states
0.466
states ranked
51

Gini index by state

Shaded by quintile; darker = higher. Hover a state for its value and rank.

Alabama: 0.475 (rank 12 of 51)Alaska: 0.440 (rank 48 of 51)Arizona: 0.462 (rank 30 of 51)Colorado: 0.461 (rank 31 of 51)Florida: 0.480 (rank 7 of 51)Georgia: 0.473 (rank 15 of 51)Indiana: 0.452 (rank 41 of 51)Kansas: 0.456 (rank 36 of 51)Maine: 0.457 (rank 34 of 51)Massachusetts: 0.482 (rank 6 of 51)Minnesota: 0.452 (rank 41 of 51)New Jersey: 0.471 (rank 20 of 51)North Carolina: 0.478 (rank 10 of 51)North Dakota: 0.457 (rank 34 of 51)Oklahoma: 0.470 (rank 22 of 51)Pennsylvania: 0.475 (rank 12 of 51)South Dakota: 0.443 (rank 46 of 51)Texas: 0.479 (rank 9 of 51)Wyoming: 0.461 (rank 31 of 51)Connecticut: 0.499 (rank 3 of 51)Missouri: 0.463 (rank 28 of 51)West Virginia: 0.467 (rank 25 of 51)Illinois: 0.480 (rank 7 of 51)New Mexico: 0.472 (rank 17 of 51)Arkansas: 0.472 (rank 17 of 51)California: 0.485 (rank 5 of 51)Delaware: 0.448 (rank 43 of 51)Hawaii: 0.454 (rank 40 of 51)Iowa: 0.436 (rank 49 of 51)Kentucky: 0.471 (rank 20 of 51)Maryland: 0.456 (rank 36 of 51)Michigan: 0.468 (rank 24 of 51)Mississippi: 0.477 (rank 11 of 51)Montana: 0.458 (rank 33 of 51)New Hampshire: 0.448 (rank 43 of 51)New York: 0.519 (rank 2 of 51)Ohio: 0.463 (rank 28 of 51)Oregon: 0.456 (rank 36 of 51)Tennessee: 0.475 (rank 12 of 51)Utah: 0.422 (rank 51 of 51)Virginia: 0.469 (rank 23 of 51)Washington: 0.473 (rank 15 of 51)Wisconsin: 0.442 (rank 47 of 51)Nebraska: 0.446 (rank 45 of 51)South Carolina: 0.466 (rank 26 of 51)Idaho: 0.435 (rank 50 of 51)Nevada: 0.465 (rank 27 of 51)Vermont: 0.455 (rank 39 of 51)Louisiana: 0.492 (rank 4 of 51)Rhode Island: 0.472 (rank 17 of 51) District of Columbia: 0.524 (rank 1 of 51)
  • 0.422–0.452
  • 0.454–0.461
  • 0.462–0.471
  • 0.472–0.477
  • 0.478–0.524
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 1-year estimates. Map: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundaries (via us-atlas), Albers USA projection; Alaska and Hawaii repositioned.

Highest and lowest states

Gini index; dashed line marks the US figure.

Highest 10

  1. 1. District of Columbia 0.524
  2. 2. New York 0.519
  3. 3. Connecticut 0.499
  4. 4. Louisiana 0.492
  5. 5. California 0.485
  6. 6. Massachusetts 0.482
  7. 7. Florida 0.480
  8. 7. Illinois 0.480
  9. 9. Texas 0.479
  10. 10. North Carolina 0.478

Lowest 10

  1. 41. Minnesota 0.452
  2. 43. Delaware 0.448
  3. 43. New Hampshire 0.448
  4. 45. Nebraska 0.446
  5. 46. South Dakota 0.443
  6. 47. Wisconsin 0.442
  7. 48. Alaska 0.440
  8. 49. Iowa 0.436
  9. 50. Idaho 0.435
  10. 51. Utah 0.422

United States: 0.481

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 1-year estimates.

Full ranking

Download CSV 51 rows
Select a column header to sort (press again to reverse). Margins of error (±) are at the 90% confidence level.
1 District of Columbia 0.524 ±0.011 South 702,250
2 New York 0.519 ±0.003 Northeast 19,867,248
3 Connecticut 0.499 ±0.006 Northeast 3,675,069
4 Louisiana 0.492 ±0.005 South 4,597,740
5 California 0.485 ±0.002 West 39,431,263
6 Massachusetts 0.482 ±0.004 Northeast 7,136,171
7 Florida 0.480 ±0.003 South 23,372,215
7 Illinois 0.480 ±0.004 Midwest 12,710,158
9 Texas 0.479 ±0.003 South 31,290,831
10 North Carolina 0.478 ±0.004 South 11,046,024
11 Mississippi 0.477 ±0.007 South 2,943,045
12 Alabama 0.475 ±0.005 South 5,157,699
12 Pennsylvania 0.475 ±0.003 Northeast 13,078,751
12 Tennessee 0.475 ±0.004 South 7,227,750
15 Georgia 0.473 ±0.004 South 11,180,878
15 Washington 0.473 ±0.004 West 7,958,180
17 Arkansas 0.472 ±0.007 South 3,088,354
17 New Mexico 0.472 ±0.008 West 2,130,256
17 Rhode Island 0.472 ±0.011 Northeast 1,112,308
20 Kentucky 0.471 ±0.005 South 4,588,372
20 New Jersey 0.471 ±0.003 Northeast 9,500,851
22 Oklahoma 0.470 ±0.005 South 4,095,393
23 Virginia 0.469 ±0.003 South 8,811,195
24 Michigan 0.468 ±0.003 Midwest 10,140,459
25 West Virginia 0.467 ±0.007 South 1,769,979
26 South Carolina 0.466 ±0.005 South 5,478,831
27 Nevada 0.465 ±0.007 West 3,267,467
28 Missouri 0.463 ±0.004 Midwest 6,245,466
28 Ohio 0.463 ±0.003 Midwest 11,883,304
30 Arizona 0.462 ±0.005 West 7,582,384
31 Colorado 0.461 ±0.005 West 5,957,494
31 Wyoming 0.461 ±0.018 West 587,618
33 Montana 0.458 ±0.011 West 1,137,233
34 Maine 0.457 ±0.009 Northeast 1,405,012
34 North Dakota 0.457 ±0.012 Midwest 796,568
36 Kansas 0.456 ±0.006 Midwest 2,970,606
36 Maryland 0.456 ±0.004 South 6,263,220
36 Oregon 0.456 ±0.005 West 4,272,371
39 Vermont 0.455 ±0.012 Northeast 648,493
40 Hawaii 0.454 ±0.007 West 1,446,146
41 Indiana 0.452 ±0.004 Midwest 6,924,275
41 Minnesota 0.452 ±0.004 Midwest 5,793,151
43 Delaware 0.448 ±0.010 South 1,051,917
43 New Hampshire 0.448 ±0.008 Northeast 1,409,032
45 Nebraska 0.446 ±0.007 Midwest 2,005,466
46 South Dakota 0.443 ±0.011 Midwest 924,669
47 Wisconsin 0.442 ±0.003 Midwest 5,960,975
48 Alaska 0.440 ±0.014 West 740,133
49 Iowa 0.436 ±0.005 Midwest 3,241,488
50 Idaho 0.435 ±0.007 West 2,001,619
51 Utah 0.422 ±0.006 West 3,503,613

Methodology

Census Bureau table B19083 (Gini Index of Income Inequality), household income, 1-year American Community Survey estimates. Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level; small differences between states are often not statistically significant.

Puerto Rico and other US territories are not included. Rankings use competition ranking: tied values share a rank.

Frequently asked questions

Is a higher Gini index worse?

A higher value means income is more concentrated among top earners. Whether that is "worse" is a value judgement, but higher numbers mean more inequality.

Why is DC so high?

DC combines very high-earning professional households with persistent pockets of low income in a small, entirely urban area, which produces a wide income spread.

Sources

Data retrieved October 28, 2026. Values are shown as published, rounded for display; derived percentages are computed by us from published counts as described above. Download the CSV. Spotted an error? Tell us.

Cite this page: SortedLists, “US States by Income Inequality (Gini Index)”, https://sortedlists.com/states-by-income-inequality/ (accessed October 28, 2026). Data: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, table B19083.