49. Arkansas
> Median household income: $41,995
> Population: 2,978,204 (18th lowest)
> 2015 Unemployment rate: 5.2% (24th highest)
> Poverty rate: 19.1% (4th highest)
Goods and services in Arkansas cost less on average than almost anywhere else in the country. While the relative affordability certainly helps low income households, state residents are still quite poor. The typical household earns $41,995 a year, second lowest after Mississippi. Also, 19.1% of people live in poverty, the fourth highest poverty rate of any state. Homes tend to have relatively low values to match the low incomes. At just $120,700, the typical home in Arkansas is valued at more than $70,000 below the national benchmark of $194,500.