Where Does South Dakota Rank Among the Richest/Poorest States in America?

When it comes to the wealthiest places in America there are the haves and the have-nots and South Dakota is somewhere in between.

The website 24/7WallStreet looked at median household income data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest American Community Survey, which found that the average American household earned $65,712. That figure typically predicts poverty rates, education levels, and home values.

In South Dakota, the median household income was more than $6,000 below the national average, at $59,533. That placed the Mount Rushmore State at number 33 overall in America.

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The numbers also show that the state has the 17th lowest rate of both adults with at least a bachelor's degree (29.7%) and median home values ($185.000).

South Dakota's poverty rate of nearly 12 percent (11.9%) is tied for 23rd highest in the country.

The state's median income is nearly a third less (31.4%) than the richest state in America - Maryland, which is one of only five states with a median income of more than $80,000.

RICHEST STATES IN AMERICA (Median Household Income)

1. Maryland - $86,738
2. Massachusetts - $85,843
3. New Jersey - $85,751
4. Hawaii - $83,102
5. California - $80,440
6. Connecticut - $78,833
7. Washington - $78,678
8. New Hampshire - $77,933
9. Colorado - $77,127
10. Virginia - $76,456

A majority of the poorest states, three had median incomes of less than $50,000.

POOREST STATES IN AMERICA (Median Household Income)

1. Mississippi - $45,792
2. West Virginia - $48,850
3. Arkansas - $48,952
4. Louisiana - $51,073
5. Alabama - $51,734
6. New Mexico - $51,945
7. Kentucky - $52,295
8. Oklahoma - $54,449
9. Tennessee - $56,071
10. South Carolina - $56,227