Household incomes across the 50 states

Income by US State: where pay is highest and lowest

Median household income in the US hit $81,604 in 2024/2025, but where you live changes the picture a lot. 

Our map breaks every state into four income tiers, from Washington DC at the top to Mississippi at the bottom, and shows where hospitality jobs matter most.

US median household income was $81,604 in 2024/2025.

Washington DC comes out on top at $109,707, and Massachusetts is the highest-earning state at $104,828. Mississippi sits at the other end at $59,127, roughly $50,000 lower.

The top tier follows a clear pattern. It runs up the Northeast corridor from Virginia and Maryland to Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and takes in the West Coast, Colorado, Utah, Alaska and Hawaii. 

The lowest-earning states are mostly in the South and parts of the Midwest. 

Some of that gap comes down to living costs, and some to the industries each state depends on.

For hospitality, the geography is interesting. The sector carries the most weight in tourism-driven states. In Nevada, hospitality and catering’s share of jobs is more than double the national average, and in Hawaii it’s nearly double. Wyoming, Montana and Florida are also well above average. These states sit in very different income tiers, so a competitive salary in Wyoming looks quite different from one in Hawaii.

Across the country, food preparation and serving accounts for almost 9% of all US jobs, around 13.8 million people. That makes it one of the biggest employers in the US.

If you’re hiring in hospitality across state lines, local income levels should shape how you set pay. 

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