US Counties With the Highest Returns Claiming the Earned Income Credit

3,143 US counties ranked by returns claiming the earned income credit, from highest to lowest. First are Kusilvak Census Area, AK (48.7%), Humphreys County, MS (47.6%) and Tunica County, MS (46.3%). The middle one of the 3,143 has 15.4%.

What this measures

The percentage of tax returns claiming the earned income tax credit, which goes to working households with low incomes. It is a count from tax records of the working poor, not a survey estimate. Source: IRS Statistics of Income.

For most measures, a national ranking mostly sorts places by income and by how urban they are. Each county’s own page compares it with the 50 counties most like it instead, which is often the fairer view.

The 100 highest counties

Rank	County	%
1	Kusilvak Census Area, AK	48.7%
2	Humphreys County, MS	47.6%
3	Tunica County, MS	46.3%
4	Holmes County, MS	46%
5	Oglala Lakota County, SD	45.5%
6	Zapata County, TX	45.4%
7	Quitman County, MS	44.9%
8	Claiborne County, MS	44.8%
9	Starr County, TX	44.4%
10	Leflore County, MS	43.8%
11	Buffalo County, SD	43.1%
12	Sharkey County, MS	43%
13	Madison Parish, LA	42.9%
14	Greene County, AL	42.7%
15	Perry County, AL	42.6%
16	Sunflower County, MS	42.5%
17	Jefferson County, MS	42.3%
18	East Carroll Parish, LA	42.2%
19	Coahoma County, MS	42%
20	Washington County, MS	41.2%
21	Todd County, SD	40.7%
22	Noxubee County, MS	40.4%
23	Tallahatchie County, MS	39.8%
24	Brooks County, TX	39.2%
25	Phillips County, AR	39.2%
26	Zavala County, TX	39.1%
27	Dallas County, AL	38.6%
28	Wilcox County, AL	38.3%
29	Willacy County, TX	37.4%
30	Yazoo County, MS	37.2%
31	Clay County, GA	37.2%
32	Dougherty County, GA	37.2%
33	Webb County, TX	37%
34	Hidalgo County, TX	36.9%
35	St. Francis County, AR	36.7%
36	Bullock County, AL	36.5%
37	Turner County, GA	36.4%
38	Pike County, MS	36.3%
39	Dillon County, SC	36.3%
40	Randolph County, GA	36.3%
41	Sioux County, ND	36.1%
42	Maverick County, TX	35.9%
43	Mitchell County, GA	35.8%
44	Jefferson Davis County, MS	35.8%
45	Crisp County, GA	35.6%
46	Lowndes County, AL	35.6%
47	Menominee County, WI	35.6%
48	Atkinson County, GA	35.5%
49	Bolivar County, MS	35.3%
50	Terrell County, GA	35.3%
51	Telfair County, GA	35.2%
52	St. Helena Parish, LA	35.2%
53	Stewart County, GA	35.2%
54	Wayne County, MS	35.1%
55	McKinley County, NM	35.1%
56	Clayton County, GA	35.1%
57	Clinch County, GA	35%
58	Panola County, MS	35%
59	Emporia city, VA	34.9%
60	Luna County, NM	34.8%
61	Allendale County, SC	34.7%
62	Lee County, AR	34.6%
63	Morehouse Parish, LA	34.6%
64	Sumter County, AL	34.6%
65	Coffee County, GA	34.5%
66	Crittenden County, AR	34.4%
67	Clay County, MS	34.3%
68	Clay County, KY	34.3%
69	Chickasaw County, MS	34.3%
70	Bennett County, SD	34.2%
71	Tensas Parish, LA	34.2%
72	Marion County, SC	34.1%
73	Kemper County, MS	34.1%
74	Cameron County, TX	34%
75	Robeson County, NC	34%
76	Wilkinson County, MS	34%
77	Early County, GA	34%
78	Ben Hill County, GA	33.9%
79	Duval County, TX	33.9%
80	Taliaferro County, GA	33.8%
81	Bethel Census Area, AK	33.8%
82	Marlboro County, SC	33.8%
83	Warren County, GA	33.6%
84	Concordia Parish, LA	33.5%
85	Chicot County, AR	33.5%
86	Quitman County, GA	33.3%
87	Issaquena County, MS	33.3%
88	Walthall County, MS	33.3%
89	Scott County, MS	33.2%
90	Dewey County, SD	33.2%
91	Jasper County, MS	33.2%
92	Emanuel County, GA	33.2%
93	Franklin Parish, LA	33.2%
94	Presidio County, TX	33.1%
95	Hudspeth County, TX	33.1%
96	Red River Parish, LA	33%
97	Sumter County, GA	32.9%
98	Decatur County, GA	32.7%
99	Jim Hogg County, TX	32.7%
100	Conecuh County, AL	32.6%

Every state, highest first

Each state’s own published figure, not an average of its counties.

Rank	State	%
1	Mississippi	26.7%
2	Louisiana	24%
3	Georgia	20.6%
4	Arkansas	20.5%
5	Alabama	20.3%
6	Texas	19.4%
7	Florida	19.1%
8	Oklahoma	18.8%
9	New Mexico	18.5%
10	Kentucky	18%
11	South Carolina	17.7%
12	Tennessee	17%
13	North Carolina	16.7%
14	West Virginia	16.3%
15	Nevada	15.8%
16	Arizona	15.3%
17	New York	15.1%
18	Missouri	14.8%
19	Indiana	14.7%
20	Ohio	14.4%
21	Michigan	14.3%
22	California	13.8%
23	Delaware	13.7%
24	Illinois	13.5%
25	Pennsylvania	13%
26	Kansas	12.9%
27	Virginia	12.9%
28	Idaho	12.6%
29	District of Columbia	12.6%
30	Maryland	12.3%
31	Rhode Island	12.2%
32	Hawaii	12.1%
33	Nebraska	12%
34	Iowa	12%
35	New Jersey	12%
36	South Dakota	11.8%
37	Montana	11.7%
38	Maine	11.3%
39	Alaska	11.3%
40	Wyoming	11.3%
41	Oregon	11.2%
42	Connecticut	11.1%
43	Utah	10.9%
44	Wisconsin	10.6%
45	North Dakota	10.5%
46	Colorado	10.2%
47	Vermont	10.1%
48	Minnesota	9.98%
49	Washington	9.82%
50	Massachusetts	9.56%
51	New Hampshire	7.91%

More on returns claiming the earned income credit

A ranking describes places, not the people in them, and a high or low place does not by itself say why. All US rankings.