United States Income Inequality Map

I would understand the southwest inequality arising from the wages of illegal immigrants and the prevelant southern inequality due to remnants of segregation and black rural poverty, but what does the inequality in West Virginia come from?

Coal barons, chemical plants

I want to live in an area of inequality! Where else could you have better chance of moving up?

Only communism will produce economic equality- capitalism is by definition based on allowing people to move up & down.

I have a feeling that the areas with equal wages are only equal because EVERYONE is poor.

The big cities, surrounded by white suburbs, bear a disturbing resemblance to strep colonies on a SBA petri dish. What have we become?

Mitch, I couldn’t agree less. I can’t understand the line of thinking celebrates poverty, because it means that you can have more stuff.

Here in Washington, NC we’re in a Tier 1 county. Our poverty rate was 19.5 percent at last count and our unemployment rate was 6 percent. Over the years we’ve lost 3,000 manufacturing jobs; that’s 50 percent of our work force.

Allan Clark
Click on the link to the data source to find the answers to your questions.

Wow, the division of inequality between North and South is all to familiar…..

As Malcolm X stated in his book, D.C. had the worst poverty he had seen; the Census Bureau reported “In 2005, Washington D.C. had a higher concentration of severly poor people, 10.8% in 2005, than ANY of the 50 states.

That is our nation’s capitol!
Ohh BUT God Bless America, ahahah! OKAY!

“Only communism will produce economic equality- capitalism is by definition based on allowing people to move up & down.”

This is only true in the purest forms of these terms. No such situation has ever, nor ever will exist in world society, so the whole statement is pretty much applicable to nothing, in reality. The brand of capitalism in the United States does not lend itself to up-down movement simply due to capitalism.

“Wow, the division of inequality between North and South is all to familiar….. ”

Yes, yes it is all too familiar, and has been this way since the end of the Civil War. The main reason is “carpet-baggers”. It still is. They haven’t quit migrating down here.

“Most of the poor in NM are not illegal immigrants, but people (of Spanish and native descent) whose families were there long before it was US territory, but whose titles to the land were stolen or ignored when it became US territory. Hence the income inequality – a small number of people managed to control huge amounts of land for ranching, leaving most people poor.”

Sadly, this is true, particularly in Texas. If you want to know the true purpose of the famous “Texas Rangers”, read about this historically dark period. Again, mainly carpet baggers, usually republicans, with connections in the republican white house. U.S. Grant’s administration was undoubtedly one of the most corrupt in our nation’s history, the present administration ranking right up there, if not surpassing Grant’s. Of course, the Bush’s weren’t Texans. They came from Connecticut.

Clay: nice job.

Rafik: Never wrestle with a pig. You’ll both get covered in sh*t, but the pig
will enjoy it.

All: I cannot believe the number of contributors who have confounded “inequality” with “income” (or “wealth”). It’s a map of inequality: it reflects the distribution of household income, not the absolute value of household income. Look at the legend.

Inequality is important because the rich bid up the price of land, meaning even if you earn good money you might struggle to get by in a tiny Condo
($330,000 next to a very busy street in a “lower income” but not bad neigborhood in Orange County,CA)in an area with many wealthy people. Because of absentee ownership, wealthy people in other states own land in affordable states, making it difficult for local people to buy land or even a house, since wages in affordable states are lower. In Colorado Springs there is plenty of land, but its mostly vacation mansions of people who do not live in Colorado. Most of the people live in a crowded “seedy” neigborhood. Downtown homelessness is very vissible. Yet wide open luxury ranches are within 30min walking distance. Security guards are hired to keep the homeless out of the ranches which are unoccupied most of the year. Its not uncommon for secluded mansions (with helicopter pads) to be located on top of entire little forested mountains. The mountains are fenced off. signs: “Tresspassers shot on site”

> …what does the inequality in West Virginia come from?

Coal mine owners vs. coal miners maybe?

You are saying 90% of the workers in large portions of Texas, Kentucky, West Virginia, etc could all join the top economic levels of the country like you by showing up and being in time? My guess is you are a white guy with good education whose bad choices involved drinking or using drugs while your parents supported you. You live in a metropolitan area and have good credit.