AkashicWhere household income is lowest
Of the 100 counties with the lowest median income, 60 voted Republican and 40 Democratic in 2024 — a median of R+21.4, and as a group they shifted −5.5 points toward Republicans from 2020 to 2024.
Does median income move the vote?
Every U.S. county, plotted by how little of the community lives there against its 2024 presidential margin — the demographic dial on one axis, the political one on the other.
Across every county, the more median income a county is, the more Democratic it votes — a mild relationship (r = +0.33).
| Median income range | Counties | Median margin |
|---|---|---|
| $39,325 – $44,324 | 140 | R+28.9 |
| $44,324 – $49,324 | 153 | R+51.1 |
| $49,324 – $54,323 | 263 | R+50.1 |
| $54,323 – $59,322 | 330 | R+47.9 |
| $59,322 – $64,322 | 405 | R+47.5 |
| $64,322 – $69,321 | 381 | R+42.2 |
| $69,321 – $74,320 | 323 | R+38.4 |
| $74,320 – $79,320 | 245 | R+32.4 |
| $79,320 – $84,319 | 159 | R+31.4 |
| $84,319 – $89,318 | 118 | R+18.9 |
| $89,318 – $94,317 | 79 | R+24.0 |
| $94,317 – $99,317 | 54 | R+4.7 |
| $99,317 – $104,316 | 47 | D+6.8 |
| $104,316 – $109,315 | 23 | D+8.5 |
| $109,315 – $114,315 | 33 | D+1.5 |
| $114,315 – $119,314 | 72 | D+1.7 |
Where median income is lowest
Every county shaded by median income — deep where the value bottoms out, pale at the other end. Counties below 5,000 population are suppressed.
The leaderboard
Ranked least to most by median income. Filter by region or state, switch the column lens, cap the list, and sort on any figure.
| # | 2008–24 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randolph County, GA | $28,380 | D D+7.6 | −1.5 | 2,990 | |
| 2 | Lake County, TN | $28,814 | R R+54.9 | −7.4 | 1,939 | |
| 3 | Greene County, AL | $29,200 | D D+55.7 | −7.4 | 4,039 | |
| 4 | Wolfe County, KY | $30,417 | R R+50.6 | −8.3 | 2,915 | |
| 5 | Bullock County, AL | $31,310 | D D+45.8 | −4.1 | 4,111 | |
| 6 | Bell County, KY | $31,354 | R R+68.7 | −5.4 | 9,340 | |
| 7 | McDowell County, WV | $31,559 | R R+60.4 | −1.9 | 5,425 | |
| 8 | Claiborne County, MS | $31,897 | D D+67.6 | −3.7 | 3,541 | |
| 9 | Allendale County, SC | $32,328 | D D+44.7 | −7.7 | 3,023 | |
| 10 | Quitman County, MS | $32,412 | D D+30.7 | −4.1 | 2,677 | |
| 11 | Knox County, KY | $32,527 | R R+71.1 | −4.1 | 13,156 | |
| 12 | Holmes County, MS | $32,538 | D D+62.1 | −2.2 | 6,730 | |
| 13 | Claiborne Parish, LA | $32,831 | R R+22.1 | −6.3 | 5,816 | |
| 14 | Magoffin County, KY | $33,080 | R R+64.1 | −9.7 | 5,274 | |
| 15 | Sumter County, AL | $33,310 | D D+41.1 | −7.3 | 5,307 | |
| 16 | East Carroll Parish, LA | $33,341 | D D+17.6 | −9.4 | 2,306 | |
| 17 | Humphreys County, MS | $33,731 | D D+41.9 | −3.4 | 3,468 | |
| 18 | McCreary County, KY | $33,750 | R R+78.7 | −2.0 | 6,212 | |
| 19 | Noxubee County, MS | $33,833 | D D+47.6 | −4.8 | 4,449 | |
| 20 | Marlboro County, SC | $34,301 | D D+2.4 | −8.5 | 10,152 | |
| 21 | Lee County, AR | $34,375 | D D+3.5 | −1.3 | 2,520 | |
| 22 | Breathitt County, KY | $34,808 | R R+59.3 | −7.0 | 5,113 | |
| 23 | Hancock County, TN | $34,960 | R R+76.5 | +0.8 | 2,908 | |
| 24 | Bienville Parish, LA | $35,011 | R R+18.0 | −6.4 | 6,256 | |
| 25 | Leflore County, MS | $35,277 | D D+38.4 | −3.0 | 9,421 | |
| 26 | Wilkinson County, MS | $35,311 | D D+25.3 | −9.2 | 2,931 | |
| 27 | Madison Parish, LA | $35,456 | D D+6.2 | −9.3 | 3,992 | |
| 28 | Dallas County, AL | $35,627 | D D+32.5 | −5.1 | 15,547 | |
| 29 | Leslie County, KY | $35,934 | R R+80.9 | −0.4 | 4,357 | |
| 30 | Swisher County, TX | $36,165 | R R+63.4 | −5.4 | 2,265 | |
| 31 | Marion County, SC | $36,301 | D D+10.5 | −11.0 | 13,388 | |
| 32 | Luna County, NM | $36,419 | R R+18.9 | −8.5 | 8,056 | |
| 33 | Socorro County, NM | $36,570 | R R+3.7 | −10.2 | 7,233 | |
| 34 | Zavala County, TX | $36,749 | D D+14.4 | −17.0 | 3,492 | |
| 35 | Turner County, GA | $36,799 | R R+28.5 | −3.7 | 3,833 | |
| 36 | Martin County, KY | $37,042 | R R+83.6 | −4.9 | 3,655 | |
| 37 | Lowndes County, AL | $37,052 | D D+37.3 | −8.6 | 5,655 | |
| 38 | Amite County, MS | $37,222 | R R+32.8 | −6.7 | 6,815 | |
| 39 | Coahoma County, MS | $37,461 | D D+39.8 | −3.1 | 6,790 | |
| 40 | Tallahatchie County, MS | $37,466 | D D+5.9 | −4.9 | 5,012 | |
| 41 | Lee County, KY | $37,568 | R R+67.7 | −3.7 | 2,690 | |
| 42 | Wayne County, MS | $37,619 | R R+32.7 | −6.1 | 9,119 | |
| 43 | Starr County, TX | $37,639 | R R+16.0 | −21.0 | 16,421 | |
| 44 | Perry County, AL | $37,654 | D D+42.7 | −5.5 | 4,465 | |
| 45 | Desha County, AR | $37,662 | R R+4.8 | −7.0 | 3,505 | |
| 46 | Mingo County, WV | $38,119 | R R+73.8 | −2.5 | 8,490 | |
| 47 | Fulton County, KY | $38,217 | R R+39.9 | −6.4 | 2,145 | |
| 48 | Jefferson County, MS | $38,305 | D D+66.3 | −5.3 | 3,299 | |
| 49 | Jefferson Davis County, MS | $38,548 | D D+13.7 | −3.4 | 5,378 | |
| 50 | Galax city, VA | $38,675 | R R+43.8 | −3.6 | 2,721 | |
| 51 | Dimmit County, TX | $38,808 | D D+3.3 | −20.7 | 3,427 | |
| 52 | Chicot County, AR | $39,045 | D D+4.0 | −8.4 | 3,490 | |
| 53 | Lincoln Parish, LA | $39,172 | R R+25.5 | −6.0 | 18,157 | |
| 54 | Zapata County, TX | $39,239 | R R+22.4 | −17.1 | 4,871 | |
| 55 | Hale County, AL | $39,250 | D D+6.8 | −11.8 | 7,305 | |
| 56 | Yazoo County, MS | $39,295 | R R+2.4 | −8.8 | 8,971 | |
| 57 | Avoyelles Parish, LA | $39,325 | R R+43.1 | −2.4 | 16,037 | |
| 58 | Tunica County, MS | $39,364 | D D+38.9 | −10.3 | 2,668 | |
| 59 | Hickory County, MO | $39,390 | R R+61.1 | −3.8 | 5,120 | |
| 60 | Morehouse Parish, LA | $39,454 | R R+19.3 | −5.8 | 10,097 | |
| 61 | Bolivar County, MS | $39,585 | D D+23.7 | −7.1 | 10,435 | |
| 62 | Concordia Parish, LA | $39,943 | R R+29.3 | −2.5 | 7,755 | |
| 63 | Sunflower County, MS | $39,956 | D D+35.5 | −5.6 | 7,876 | |
| 64 | Clay County, TN | $39,972 | R R+66.6 | −9.6 | 3,760 | |
| 65 | Cumberland County, KY | $40,000 | R R+70.9 | −2.5 | 3,442 | |
| 66 | Jackson County, KY | $40,000 | R R+81.8 | −2.5 | 5,934 | |
| 67 | Hancock County, GA | $40,082 | D D+35.4 | −8.5 | 4,240 | |
| 68 | Pemiscot County, MO | $40,089 | R R+49.1 | −4.4 | 5,270 | |
| 69 | Phillips County, AR | $40,134 | D D+13.3 | −6.0 | 4,938 | |
| 70 | Jeff Davis County, GA | $40,283 | R R+68.3 | −4.8 | 5,872 | |
| 71 | Powell County, KY | $40,309 | R R+54.4 | −5.9 | 5,360 | |
| 72 | Wheeler County, GA | $40,539 | R R+45.1 | −6.0 | 2,276 | |
| 73 | Wilcox County, AL | $40,640 | D D+31.5 | −6.1 | 5,263 | |
| 74 | Summers County, WV | $40,699 | R R+51.4 | −4.4 | 5,264 | |
| 75 | Clay County, KY | $40,900 | R R+80.3 | −3.3 | 7,517 | |
| 76 | Stone County, AR | $40,943 | R R+61.7 | −3.8 | 6,030 | |
| 77 | Macon County, GA | $41,031 | D D+17.9 | −5.1 | 4,686 | |
| 78 | Webster Parish, LA | $41,182 | R R+36.5 | −5.4 | 16,205 | |
| 79 | Lafayette County, AR | $41,278 | R R+38.3 | −4.1 | 2,325 | |
| 80 | Floyd County, KY | $41,279 | R R+59.2 | −8.0 | 15,652 | |
| 81 | Conecuh County, AL | $41,327 | R R+13.9 | −6.5 | 6,051 | |
| 82 | Latimer County, OK | $41,405 | R R+65.6 | −2.6 | 4,079 | |
| 83 | Oglala Lakota County, SD | $41,417 | D D+70.6 | −8.6 | 3,062 | |
| 84 | Apache County, AZ | $41,438 | D D+19.0 | −14.6 | 32,019 | |
| 85 | Bradley County, AR | $41,476 | R R+39.0 | −8.3 | 3,209 | |
| 86 | Talbot County, GA | $41,597 | D D+12.0 | −8.5 | 3,379 | |
| 87 | Sierra County, NM | $41,600 | R R+19.2 | +2.3 | 5,953 | |
| 88 | Union County, SC | $41,621 | R R+32.7 | −8.2 | 12,289 | |
| 89 | Harlan County, KY | $41,693 | R R+76.1 | −4.4 | 10,388 | |
| 90 | Montgomery County, MS | $41,748 | R R+20.8 | −5.1 | 4,424 | |
| 91 | Ben Hill County, GA | $41,758 | R R+32.0 | −5.8 | 6,501 | |
| 92 | Knott County, KY | $41,761 | R R+59.2 | −5.3 | 6,003 | |
| 93 | Taylor County, GA | $41,788 | R R+31.0 | −4.1 | 3,982 | |
| 94 | Letcher County, KY | $41,793 | R R+63.9 | −4.5 | 8,431 | |
| 95 | Washington County, NC | $41,813 | D D+6.2 | −3.7 | 5,944 | |
| 96 | Lee County, VA | $41,827 | R R+72.0 | −2.8 | 10,122 | |
| 97 | Evangeline Parish, LA | $41,915 | R R+49.1 | −4.3 | 14,176 | |
| 98 | St. Helena Parish, LA | $41,934 | D D+0.8 | −9.5 | 5,745 | |
| 99 | Covington city, VA | $41,944 | R R+33.2 | −9.6 | 2,480 | |
| 100 | Quay County, NM | $41,946 | R R+40.9 | −3.1 | 3,704 |
Source. Demographics — U.S. Census American Community Survey 2024 5-year (ancestry B04006, language C16001, income B19013/B19001, education S1501, poverty S1701); adherence — 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB); density — Census TIGER land area · counties and cities ≥ 5,000 population, ranked by median income; the medians are taken across the 100 top counties; the correlation is over all 2,825 eligible counties. Presidential results are two-party margins (MIT Election Lab); city results are precinct-derived for 2008–2024. A place can be demographically homogeneous and politically split — which is exactly what these tables are built to show. Real returns — nothing estimated.