Percent of People in Poverty, by State, 2002–2010

Updated August 5, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

The following table shows the poverty rate in the United States as a whole and by state for each year from 2005 to 2010. In addition, the table includes two- and three-year averages for 2002–2004.

State 3-year
average
2002–2004
2-year
average
2002–2003
2-year
average
2003–2004

2005

2006

2007

2008
2009 2010
United States 12.4% 12.3% 12.6% 13.3% 13.3% 13.0% 13.2% 14.3% 15.1%
Alabama 15.5 14.7 16.0 16.9 16.6 16.9 15.7 16.6 17.3
Alaska 9.2 9.2 9.4 10.8 10.9 8.9 8.4 11.7 12.4
Arizona 13.8 13.5 13.9 14.4 14.2 14.2 14.7 21.2 18.6
Arkansas 17.6 18.8 16.4 17.2 17.3 17.9 17.3 18.9 15.5
California 13.2 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.1 12.4 13.3 15.3 16.3
Colorado 9.8 9.7 9.9 10.9 12.0 12.0 11.4 12.3 12.2
Connecticut 8.8 8.2 9.1 8.3 8.3 7.9 9.3 8.4 8.3
Delaware 8.5 8.2 8.2 10.3 11.1 10.5 10.0 12.3 12.1
District of Columbia 16.8 16.9 16.7 18.3 19.6 16.4 17.2 17.9 19.9
Florida 12.3 12.6 12.2 12.8 12.6 12.1 13.2 14.6 16.0
Georgia 12.0 11.5 12.5 14.5 14.7 14.3 14.7 18.4 18.7
Hawaii 9.7 10.3 8.9 9.9 9.3 8.0 9.1 12.5 12.1
Idaho 10.5 10.8 10.0 13.4 12.6 12.1 12.6 13.7 14
Illinois 12.5 12.7 12.4 12.0 12.3 11.9 12.2 13.2 14.1
Indiana 10.2 9.5 10.8 12.2 12.7 12.3 13.1 16.1 16.3
Iowa 9.7 9.1 9.9 10.8 11.0 11.0 11.5 10.7 10.3
Kansas 10.7 10.4 11.1 11.7 12.4 11.2 11.3 13.7 14.3
Kentucky 15.4 14.3 16.0 16.9 17.0 17.3 17.3 17.0 17.7
Louisiana 17.0 17.2 16.8 20.2 19.0 18.6 17.3 14.3 21.6
Maine 12.2 12.5 11.6 12.3 12.9 12.0 12.3 11.4 12.5
Maryland 8.6 8.0 9.2 8.3 7.8 8.3 8.1 9.6 10.8
Massachusetts 9.8 10.1 9.7 10.3 9.9 9.9 10.0 10.8 10.6
Michigan 12.1 11.5 12.3 13.1 13.5 14.0 14.4 14.0 15.5
Minnesota 7.0 6.9 7.2 9.2 9.8 9.5 9.6 11.1 10.5
Mississippi 17.7 17.2 17.3 21.0 21.1 20.6 21.2 23.1 22.7
Missouri 10.9 10.3 11.5 13.6 13.6 13.0 13.4 15.5 14.8
Montana 14.3 14.3 14.6 14.6 13.6 14.1 14.8 13.5 14.0
Nebraska 9.9 10.2 9.6 11.0 11.5 11.2 10.8 9.9 10.2
Nevada 10.2 9.9 10.9 11.1 10.3 10.7 11.3 13.0 16.4
New Hampshire 5.7 5.8 5.6 7.6 8.0 7.1 7.6 7.8 6.6
New Jersey 8.2 8.3 8.3 8.7 8.7 8.6 8.7 9.3 10.7
New Mexico 17.5 18.0 17.3 18.4 18.5 18.1 17.1 19.3 18.6
New York 14.4 14.2 14.6 13.9 14.2 13.7 13.6 15.8 16.0
North Carolina 14.8 15.0 15.1 14.9 14.7 14.3 14.6 16.9 17.4
North Dakota 10.3 10.6 9.7 11.6 11.4 12.1 12.0 10.9 12.2
Ohio 10.8 10.3 11.3 13.0 13.3 13.1 13.4 13.3 15.3
Oklahoma 12.6 13.5 11.8 16.4 17.0 15.9 15.9 12.9 16.3
Oregon 11.7 11.7 12.1 14.1 13.3 12.9 13.6 13.4 14.2
Pennsylvania 10.4 10.0 10.9 11.9 12.1 11.6 12.1 11.1 12.2
Rhode Island 11.3 11.3 11.5 11.9 11.1 12.0 11.7 13.0 13.6
South Carolina 14.0 13.5 13.8 15.6 15.7 15.0 15.7 13.7 17.0
South Dakota 12.5 12.1 13.0 13.6 13.6 13.1 12.5 14.1 13.2
Tennessee 14.9 14.4 15.0 15.6 16.2 15.9 15.5 16.5 16.7
Texas 16.4 16.3 16.7 17.5 16.9 16.3 15.8 17.3 18.4
Utah 9.6 9.5 9.5 10.5 10.6 9.7 9.6 9.7 10.0
Vermont 8.8 9.2 8.2 10.4 10.3 10.1 10.6 9.4 10.8
Virginia 9.8 10.0 9.7 10.0 9.6 9.9 10.2 10.7 10.7
Washington 11.7 11.8 12.0 12.0 11.8 11.4 11.3 11.7 11.5
West Virginia 16.1 17.1 15.8 18.0 17.3 16.9 17.0 15.8 16.9
Wisconsin 10.2 9.2 11.0 10.2 11.0 10.8 10.4 10.8 9.9
Wyoming 9.6 9.4 9.9 10.6 9.4 8.7 9.4 9.2 9.6
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007 and 2008; Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplements, 2011. Web: www.census.gov .

Weighted Average Poverty Thresholds for Families, 1960–2006 Poverty and Income Persons Below Poverty Level, 1975–2006 QQQ
Poverty and Income
Sources +