Counties with the worst income inequality
Counties with the worst income equality
Income inequality is an especially pressing issue in the United States, particularly when compared to other economic superpowers around the world. In the past 35 years, countries in Western Europe that boast some of the strongest gross domestic products internationally have the top 1% consistently controlling between 10% and 12% of national income: Approximately half of the 22–24% is held by the bottom half of breadwinners.
While the United States shared this healthy balance in 1980, the tables have since turned, with the top 1% now controlling an immense 20% of income and the bottom half earning about 13% of the nation’s wealth. While this immense disparity should be troubling to people across the nation, certain regions contribute much more heavily to the income gap than others.
In seeking to highlight the locations which best exemplify this problem, Stacker referenced data from the Economic Policy Institute and listed the 50 American counties with the worst income inequality. These counties are ranked according to ratio of average income earned by the top 1% to the average income earned by the remainder of the county’s population.
Read on to see if your county is among the most economically unequal in the nation.
#50. Dimmit County, TX
Average income of the top 1%: $1,239,893
Average income of the bottom 99%: $35,272
Top-to-bottom multiple: 35.2x
#49. Routt County, CO
Average income of the top 1%: $2,507,070
Average income of the bottom 99%: $71,006
Top-to-bottom multiple: 35.3x
#48. Los Angeles County, CA
Average income of the top 1%: $1,780,441
Average income of the bottom 99%: $50,122
Top-to-bottom multiple: 35.5x
#47. Davidson County, TN
Average income of the top 1%: $1,851,972
Average income of the bottom 99%: $51,955
Top-to-bottom multiple: 35.6x
#46. Midland County, TX
Average income of the top 1%: $2,940,433
Average income of the bottom 99%: $81,857
Top-to-bottom multiple: 35.9x
#45. Colusa County, CA
Average income of the top 1%: $1,585,605
Average income of the bottom 99%: $43,693
Top-to-bottom multiple: 36.3x
#44. McCracken County, KY
Average income of the top 1%: $1,489,691
Average income of the bottom 99%: $40,881
Top-to-bottom multiple: 36.4x
#43. Richmond County, VA
Average income of the top 1%: $1,581,439
Average income of the bottom 99%: $42,431
Top-to-bottom multiple: 37.3x
#42. Lake County, IL
Average income of the top 1%: $3,113,398
Average income of the bottom 99%: $83,238
Top-to-bottom multiple: 37.4x
#41. Norfolk County, MA
Average income of the top 1%: $3,184,335
Average income of the bottom 99%: $83,872
Top-to-bottom multiple: 38x
#40. Lee County, FL
Average income of the top 1%: $1,673,922
Average income of the bottom 99%: $43,148
Top-to-bottom multiple: 38.8x
#39. Goochland County, VA
Average income of the top 1%: $3,983,301
Average income of the bottom 99%: $102,518
Top-to-bottom multiple: 38.9x
#38. Pinellas County, FL
Average income of the top 1%: $1,400,070
Average income of the bottom 99%: $35,758
Top-to-bottom multiple: 39.2x
#37. San Juan County, WA
Average income of the top 1%: $2,004,457
Average income of the bottom 99%: $50,582
Top-to-bottom multiple: 39.6x
#36. Dallas County, TX
Average income of the top 1%: $2,192,650
Average income of the bottom 99%: $53,681
Top-to-bottom multiple: 40.8x
#35. Shackelford County, TX
Average income of the top 1%: $1,641,558
Average income of the bottom 99%: $39,435
Top-to-bottom multiple: 41.6x
#34. Essex County, NJ
Average income of the top 1%: $2,434,197
Average income of the bottom 99%: $58,195
Top-to-bottom multiple: 41.8x
#33. Karnes County, TX
Average income of the top 1%: $3,017,231
Average income of the bottom 99%: $71,439
Top-to-bottom multiple: 42.2x
#32. Fulton County, GA
Average income of the top 1%: $2,718,778
Average income of the bottom 99%: $64,232
Top-to-bottom multiple: 42.3x
#31. Summit County, UT
Average income of the top 1%: $4,784,667
Average income of the bottom 99%: $110,003
Top-to-bottom multiple: 43.5x
#30. Edwards County, TX
Average income of the top 1%: $1,561,788
Average income of the bottom 99%: $35,558
Top-to-bottom multiple: 43.9x
#29. Douglas County, NV
Average income of the top 1%: $2,272,387
Average income of the bottom 99%: $51,276
Top-to-bottom multiple: 44.3x
#28. Saratoga County, NY
Average income of the top 1%: $2,549,869
Average income of the bottom 99%: $56,124
Top-to-bottom multiple: 45.4x
#27. Blaine County, ID
Average income of the top 1%: $3,623,758
Average income of the bottom 99%: $77,353
Top-to-bottom multiple: 46.8x
#26. Marin County, CA
Average income of the top 1%: $4,630,737
Average income of the bottom 99%: $98,504
Top-to-bottom multiple: 47x
#25. San Francisco County, CA
Average income of the top 1%: $4,109,379
Average income of the bottom 99%: $85,107
Top-to-bottom multiple: 48.3x
#24. Benton County, AR
Average income of the top 1%: $3,162,818
Average income of the bottom 99%: $65,307
Top-to-bottom multiple: 48.4x
#23. DeWitt County, TX
Average income of the top 1%: $2,733,797
Average income of the bottom 99%: $55,743
Top-to-bottom multiple: 49x
#22. San Mateo County, CA
Average income of the top 1%: $5,104,087
Average income of the bottom 99%: $103,906
Top-to-bottom multiple: 49.1x
#21. Carroll County, NH
Average income of the top 1%: $2,470,998
Average income of the bottom 99%: $48,980
Top-to-bottom multiple: 50.4x
#20. Sarasota County, FL
Average income of the top 1%: $2,118,448
Average income of the bottom 99%: $41,962
Top-to-bottom multiple: 50.5x
#19. Dallam County, TX
Average income of the top 1%: $2,569,241
Average income of the bottom 99%: $50,815
Top-to-bottom multiple: 50.6x
#18. Union County, SD
Average income of the top 1%: $4,835,625
Average income of the bottom 99%: $92,752
Top-to-bottom multiple: 52.1x
#17. Suffolk County, MA
Average income of the top 1%: $2,796,952
Average income of the bottom 99%: $52,149
Top-to-bottom multiple: 53.6x
#16. Franklin County, FL
Average income of the top 1%: $1,456,120
Average income of the bottom 99%: $26,956
Top-to-bottom multiple: 54x
#15. Charlottesville County, VA
Average income of the top 1%: $2,909,022
Average income of the bottom 99%: $53,028
Top-to-bottom multiple: 54.9x
#14. Miami-Dade County, FL
Average income of the top 1%: $2,165,905
Average income of the bottom 99%: $38,875
Top-to-bottom multiple: 55.7x
#13. Westchester County, NY
Average income of the top 1%: $5,105,521
Average income of the bottom 99%: $89,408
Top-to-bottom multiple: 57.1x
#12. Fairfield County, CT
Average income of the top 1%: $6,290,951
Average income of the bottom 99%: $101,213
Top-to-bottom multiple: 62.2x
#11. Martin County, FL
Average income of the top 1%: $3,328,484
Average income of the bottom 99%: $49,786
Top-to-bottom multiple: 66.9x
#10. Indian River County, FL
Average income of the top 1%: $2,921,375
Average income of the bottom 99%: $43,473
Top-to-bottom multiple: 67.2x
#9. Walton County, FL
Average income of the top 1%: $2,957,140
Average income of the bottom 99%: $43,174
Top-to-bottom multiple: 68.5x
#8. San Miguel County, CO
Average income of the top 1%: $4,515,363
Average income of the bottom 99%: $65,281
Top-to-bottom multiple: 69.2x
#7. Pitkin County, CO
Average income of the top 1%: $6,620,969
Average income of the bottom 99%: $91,714
Top-to-bottom multiple: 72.2x
#6. Palm Beach County, FL
Average income of the top 1%: $3,711,619
Average income of the bottom 99%: $47,665
Top-to-bottom multiple: 77.9x
#5. Monroe County, FL
Average income of the top 1%: $4,741,192
Average income of the bottom 99%: $58,295
Top-to-bottom multiple: 81.3x
#4. Collier County, FL
Average income of the top 1%: $5,590,120
Average income of the bottom 99%: $62,053
Top-to-bottom multiple: 90.1x
#3. La Salle County, TX
Average income of the top 1%: $4,309,034
Average income of the bottom 99%: $46,763
Top-to-bottom multiple: 92.1x
#2. New York County, NY
Average income of the top 1%: $8,983,154
Average income of the bottom 99%: $79,528
Top-to-bottom multiple: 113x
#1. Teton County, WY
Average income of the top 1%: $22,508,018
Average income of the bottom 99%: $158,290
Top-to-bottom multiple: 142.2x
