Gini index of income inequality
How unequally household income is shared, on a scale from 0 to 1. Zero would mean every household has the same income. One would mean a single household has all of it. US counties run from about 0.32 to 0.60. It is measured on money income before taxes and government payments, so US figures sit above countries that measure it after taxes and payments.
Reported for3,222areas, in 52 states
Link to density0.13not mostly about how urban a place is
Nearby places alike0.25Moran’s I: only weakly, little map pattern
Typerate
How it has moved
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Every state, every year
One row per state and one column per year, sorted by the latest value. It shows states, not counties: nobody can scan 3,222 rows, and the pattern only shows when it all fits on one screen.
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Where it comes from
Census ACS 5-year · ACS table B19083_001
A score of income inequality, from 0 (everyone has the same income) to 1 (one household has it all). The inequality of a larger area cannot be worked out from its parts. Two counties where everyone earns the same can still make an unequal state, if one county is much richer than the other.
Combining areas: it cannot be combined, so it is shown only where its publisher works it out.
What it goes with
The strongest links that have a page of their own. Unadjusted is the link before adjusting for anything, from −1 (opposite) to +1 (in step). Adjusted compares places with the same population density, income and education levels, so those differences can’t explain the link. This list leaves out the 49 pairs built from the same numbers or the same model as this measure, since they are bound to match.
| Measure | Unadjusted | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Gini index of income inequality and Median household incomeWhere Gini index of income inequality is higher, Median household income tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Median household income by US county | -0.36 | -0.56 |
| Gini index of income inequality and Per capita incomeWhere Gini index of income inequality is higher, Per capita income tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Per capita income by US county | -0.08 | +0.46 |
| Gini index of income inequality and Share with a bachelor's degree or higherWhere Gini index of income inequality is higher, Share with a bachelor's degree or higher tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share with a bachelor's degree or higher by US county | +0.08 | +0.41 |
| Gini index of income inequality and Mean income of departing householdsWhere Gini index of income inequality is higher, Mean income of departing households tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Mean income of departing households by US county | +0.06 | +0.35 |
| Gini index of income inequality and Homicide rate, annualWhere Gini index of income inequality is higher, Homicide rate, annual tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Homicide rate, annual by US county | +0.39 | +0.34 |
| Gini index of income inequality and Mean adjusted gross income per returnWhere Gini index of income inequality is higher, Mean adjusted gross income per return tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Mean adjusted gross income per return by US county | +0.02 | +0.33 |
| Gini index of income inequality and Homicide rateWhere Gini index of income inequality is higher, Homicide rate tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Homicide rate by US county | +0.45 | +0.31 |
| Gini index of income inequality and Share separatedWhere Gini index of income inequality is higher, Share separated tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Share separated by US county | +0.33 | +0.30 |
| Gini index of income inequality and Returns claiming charitable contributionsWhere Gini index of income inequality is higher, Returns claiming charitable contributions tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Returns claiming charitable contributions by US county | +0.08 | +0.30 |
| Gini index of income inequality and Public-good pages per 1,000 usersPoints one way across counties (-0.07) and the other across people (+0.13), when bigger places count for more: the average county and the average resident disagree. Public-good pages per 1,000 users by US county | -0.02 | -0.07 |
Population makeup
How this measure varies with the racial and ethnic makeup of counties. Every group is shown, whatever its rank. These are links across counties: they describe places, not people. They say nothing about any person’s risk or behaviour based on their race. Counties with a larger share of one group also differ in much else, such as income, segregation, region and history. The adjusted figure only accounts for density, income and education.
| Share of residents | Unadjusted | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Gini index of income inequality and Share White, not HispanicWhere Gini index of income inequality is higher, Share White, not Hispanic tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Share White, not Hispanic by US county | -0.33 | -0.25 |
| Gini index of income inequality and Share Black, not HispanicWhere Gini index of income inequality is higher, Share Black, not Hispanic tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Share Black, not Hispanic by US county | +0.35 | +0.25 |
| Gini index of income inequality and Share Hispanic or Latino, any raceCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Hispanic or Latino, any race by US county | +0.22 | +0.04 |
| Gini index of income inequality and Share Asian, not HispanicWhere Gini index of income inequality is higher, Share Asian, not Hispanic tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Share Asian, not Hispanic by US county | +0.05 | +0.16 |
| Gini index of income inequality and Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not HispanicWhere Gini index of income inequality is higher, Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not Hispanic tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not Hispanic by US county | +0.01 | +0.13 |
Highest and lowest
Of 3,222 counties reporting it. These are the two ends of a national ranking. For most measures, that ranking mostly sorts places by income and how urban they are. That is why the place pages compare each place with similar places instead.
Highest
- Harding County, NM — 0.71
- Loving County, TX — 0.658
- Union County, NM — 0.637
- Guadalupe County, NM — 0.619
- San Juan Municipio, PR — 0.617
Lowest
- Crockett County, TX — 0.289
- Kalawao County, HI — 0.291
- Clark County, ID — 0.324
- Dallam County, TX — 0.328
- Yakutat City and Borough, AK — 0.333
The middle area reports 0.445. The middle half of counties falls between 0.423 and 0.47 (the 25th to 75th percentile).
All measures · Explore its pairs · How the US county data works