48. West Virginia
> Median household income: $42,019
> Population: 1,844,128 (13th lowest)
> 2015 Unemployment rate: 6.7% (the highest)
> Poverty rate: 17.9% (7th highest)
The typical West Virginia household earns $42,019, compared to the national median income of $55,775. Individuals struggling to find work who live on little to no income contribute to low household incomes in West Virginia. Of workers in the state, 6.7% were unemployed in 2015, the highest annual unemployment rate of any state.
West Virginia’s population is one of the largest recipients of government assistance programs such as SNAP, which each year help millions of people cope with poverty. Of households in the state, 16.0% use food stamps, the ninth highest share.