What's The Top Ten Poorest States In The US?

The top ten poorest states in America are recorded as

• South Carolina

• Texas

• Louisiana

• Alabama

• West Virginia

• New Mexico

• Washington D.C. (although not technically a state)

• Kentucky

• Arkansas

• Mississippi

• Poverty in America: Social factors

The top 10 poorest states in the US have had to deal with a number of various factors that have contributed to their poverty. Many argue that these include levels of discrimination including gender, racial and inequality. In today's society levels of discrimination are not as high as they used to be in the past, however it is still apparent in today's world. The majority of people are more aware of discrimination and the way to combat it, although studies have shown that in the poorer states as well as countries, discrimination is rather rife.

• Gender Discrimination

We are all aware that years ago the value between men and women were completely different. Women did not have the same level of importance as men did and they could have not have the same jobs were not valued at the same worth. In today's society many argue that women are still not seen as on the same level as men in the workplace. For example, women are reportedly known to earn 78 cents to every dollar that a man earns irrespective of their qualifications and education background.

• Racial Discrimination

Many years ago racism was rife in America and all over the world. This was especially the case in the Southern States of the US. The top ten poorest states could suffer from a degree of racial discrimination in this day and age which can lead to poverty. In this instance some individuals of a certain ethnicity may not have opportunities for jobs and education in certain areas. Effectively this will damage the economy in the state considerably.

In terms of average personal income per capita, which I guess you could use as a gauge for this question, they would be:

Kentucky
Louisiana
South Carolina
Idaho
Montana
Utah
New Mexico
West Virginia
Arkansas
Mississippi

The "richest" states (using the same measure) would be:

Connecticut
Massachusetts
New Jersey
Maryland
New York
New Hampshire
Colorado
Delaware
Minnesota
Virginia