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A mural depicting a more vibrant time in the town's history decorates a building in Welch, W.Va. (AP/David Goldman)
In a Nov. 8 op-ed in the Charleston Gazette-Mail, Mike Romano, a Democratic West Virginia state senator, said West Virginia’s median household income was nearly $17,000 below the national average.
"In 2017, West Virginia’s $43,469 median household income was $16,867 below the national average, ranking 50th, according to the U.S. Census Bureau," Romano wrote.
Is that correct? We took a closer look.
In September 2018, the U.S. Census Bureau released a report that included data for household income in 2017.
The figure for the United States was $60,336, while the figure for West Virginia was $43,469. The difference is exactly $16,867, as Romano said.
Meanwhile, we ranked the 50 states by household income and found that West Virginia ranked last, trailing Mississippi by $60.
Here’s the full ranking:
Maryland |
$80,776 |
New Jersey |
80,088 |
Hawaii |
77,765 |
Massachusetts |
77,385 |
Connecticut |
74,168 |
New Hampshire |
73,381 |
Alaska |
73,181 |
California |
71,805 |
Virginia |
71,535 |
Washington |
70,979 |
Colorado |
69,117 |
Minnesota |
68,388 |
Utah |
68,358 |
New York |
64,894 |
Rhode Island |
63,870 |
Illinois |
62,992 |
Delaware |
62,852 |
North Dakota |
61,843 |
Wyoming |
60,434 |
Oregon |
60,212 |
Nebraska |
59,970 |
Wisconsin |
59,305 |
Texas |
59,206 |
Pennsylvania |
59,195 |
Iowa |
58,570 |
Nevada |
58,003 |
Vermont |
57,513 |
Arizona |
56,581 |
South Dakota |
56,521 |
Kansas |
56,422 |
Maine |
56,277 |
Georgia |
56,183 |
Michigan |
54,909 |
Indiana |
54,181 |
Ohio |
54,021 |
Missouri |
53,578 |
Montana |
53,386 |
North Carolina |
52,752 |
Florida |
52,594 |
Idaho |
52,225 |
Tennessee |
51,340 |
South Carolina |
50,570 |
Oklahoma |
50,051 |
Kentucky |
48,375 |
Alabama |
48,123 |
New Mexico |
46,744 |
Louisiana |
46,145 |
Arkansas |
45,869 |
Mississippi |
43,529 |
West Virginia |
43,469 |
Romano wrote, "In 2017, West Virginia’s $43,469 median household income was $16,867 below the national average, ranking 50th according to the U.S. Census Bureau."
His statement is fully correct -- on West Virginia’s median household income, on its distance from the national average, and in its 50th place ranking.
We rate the statement True.
Charleston Gazette-Mail, "Mike Romano: Creating a real economic comeback" (op-ed), Nov. 8, 2018
U.S. Census Bureau, "Household Income: 2017," September 2018
Email interview with Mike Romano, Dec. 4 2018
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