County Maps US

The lowest median household income counties in the United States

Owsley County, Kentucky $22,188

Which US county is the poorest?

What this list shows

  • 3,143 of the 3,144 US counties and county-equivalents have a published figure for median household income.
  • Mississippi accounts for 19 of the top 100, ahead of Kentucky with 16 and Louisiana with 10.
  • The top 100 is not made up only of counties. It includes 10 parishes and 2 independent cities. County-equivalents are ranked alongside counties here, and the type column says which is which.

The top 100

The lowest median household income counties in the United States. Sortable on any column.
RankCountyStateTypeMedian household income
1Owsley CountyKentuckyCounty$22,188
2Randolph CountyGeorgiaCounty$28,380
3Lake CountyTennesseeCounty$28,814
4Greene CountyAlabamaCounty$29,200
5Wolfe CountyKentuckyCounty$30,417
6Bullock CountyAlabamaCounty$31,310
7Bell CountyKentuckyCounty$31,354
8Issaquena CountyMississippiCounty$31,429
9McDowell CountyWest VirginiaCounty$31,559
10Claiborne CountyMississippiCounty$31,897
11Allendale CountySouth CarolinaCounty$32,328
12Quitman CountyMississippiCounty$32,412
13Knox CountyKentuckyCounty$32,527
14Holmes CountyMississippiCounty$32,538
15Claiborne ParishLouisianaParish$32,831
16Magoffin CountyKentuckyCounty$33,080
17Stewart CountyGeorgiaCounty$33,250
18Sumter CountyAlabamaCounty$33,310
19East Carroll ParishLouisianaParish$33,341
20Humphreys CountyMississippiCounty$33,731
21McCreary CountyKentuckyCounty$33,750
22Noxubee CountyMississippiCounty$33,833
23Marlboro CountySouth CarolinaCounty$34,301
24Lee CountyArkansasCounty$34,375
25Breathitt CountyKentuckyCounty$34,808
26Hancock CountyTennesseeCounty$34,960
27Bienville ParishLouisianaParish$35,011
28Leflore CountyMississippiCounty$35,277
29Wilkinson CountyMississippiCounty$35,311
30Jackson CountySouth DakotaCounty$35,417
31Madison ParishLouisianaParish$35,456
32Dallas CountyAlabamaCounty$35,627
33Leslie CountyKentuckyCounty$35,934
34Swisher CountyTexasCounty$36,165
35Marion CountySouth CarolinaCounty$36,301
36Luna CountyNew MexicoCounty$36,419
37Socorro CountyNew MexicoCounty$36,570
38Tensas ParishLouisianaParish$36,615
39Zavala CountyTexasCounty$36,749
40Turner CountyGeorgiaCounty$36,799
41Costilla CountyColoradoCounty$36,861
42Martin CountyKentuckyCounty$37,042
43Lowndes CountyAlabamaCounty$37,052
44Amite CountyMississippiCounty$37,222
45Coahoma CountyMississippiCounty$37,461
46Tallahatchie CountyMississippiCounty$37,466
47Lee CountyKentuckyCounty$37,568
48Wayne CountyMississippiCounty$37,619
49Starr CountyTexasCounty$37,639
50Perry CountyAlabamaCounty$37,654
51Desha CountyArkansasCounty$37,662
52Mingo CountyWest VirginiaCounty$38,119
53Fulton CountyKentuckyCounty$38,217
54Jefferson CountyMississippiCounty$38,305
55Jefferson Davis CountyMississippiCounty$38,548
56Galax cityVirginiaIndependent city$38,675
57Dimmit CountyTexasCounty$38,808
58Kenedy CountyTexasCounty$38,882
59Chicot CountyArkansasCounty$39,045
60Lincoln ParishLouisianaParish$39,172
61Zapata CountyTexasCounty$39,239
62Hale CountyAlabamaCounty$39,250
63Yazoo CountyMississippiCounty$39,295
64Avoyelles ParishLouisianaParish$39,325
65Tunica CountyMississippiCounty$39,364
66Hickory CountyMissouriCounty$39,390
67Morehouse ParishLouisianaParish$39,454
68Bolivar CountyMississippiCounty$39,585
69Real CountyTexasCounty$39,605
70Concordia ParishLouisianaParish$39,943
71Sunflower CountyMississippiCounty$39,956
72Clay CountyTennesseeCounty$39,972
73Cumberland CountyKentuckyCounty$40,000
74Jackson CountyKentuckyCounty$40,000
75Sharkey CountyMississippiCounty$40,000
76Hancock CountyGeorgiaCounty$40,082
77Pemiscot CountyMissouriCounty$40,089
78Phillips CountyArkansasCounty$40,134
79Quitman CountyGeorgiaCounty$40,179
80Jeff Davis CountyGeorgiaCounty$40,283
81Powell CountyKentuckyCounty$40,309
82Edwards CountyTexasCounty$40,313
83Wheeler CountyGeorgiaCounty$40,539
84Wilcox CountyAlabamaCounty$40,640
85Summers CountyWest VirginiaCounty$40,699
86Clay CountyKentuckyCounty$40,900
87Stone CountyArkansasCounty$40,943
88Macon CountyGeorgiaCounty$41,031
89Webster ParishLouisianaParish$41,182
90Lafayette CountyArkansasCounty$41,278
91Floyd CountyKentuckyCounty$41,279
92Conecuh CountyAlabamaCounty$41,327
93Latimer CountyOklahomaCounty$41,405
94Oglala Lakota CountySouth DakotaCounty$41,417
95Apache CountyArizonaCounty$41,438
96Bradley CountyArkansasCounty$41,476
97Norton cityVirginiaIndependent city$41,495
98Talbot CountyGeorgiaCounty$41,597
99Sierra CountyNew MexicoCounty$41,600
100Union CountySouth CarolinaCounty$41,621

Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates, released 29 January 2026. Retrieved 30 August 2026.

This is the top 100. See the complete table of all 3,144 counties.

Other rankings

Rebuilt from source data 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.