15. New York
> Median household income: $60,850
> Population: 19,795,791 (4th highest)
> 2015 Unemployment rate: 5.3% (23rd highest)
> Poverty rate: 15.4% (17th highest)
While the median household income in New York is relatively high — roughly $5,000 higher than the corresponding national figure — not all state residents are benefitting. Alongside higher incomes is a higher poverty rate. In fact, New York is one of a handful of rich states with a poverty rate above the 14.7% national rate — 15.4% of state residents live in poverty. With higher than average incomes and relatively pervasive poverty, New York has the worst income inequality in the country.
Those at the lower end of the income spectrum are further strained by a high cost of living. Goods and services are 15.7% more expensive in New York than they are across the country as a whole.