15 States Where Only the Rich Got Richer Post-Recession

For years, many Americans have struggled to get by due to stagnant wages.

The rich don’t have that problem.

A new report from the Economic Policy Institute, a think tank based in Washington, D.C., points out that income inequality has risen in every state since the 1970s, and the income gap widened significantly in some states after the Great Recession. The report, “Income inequality in the U.S. by state, metropolitan area, and county,” analyzes tax data reported by the Internal Revenue Service, with a particular focus on income trends between 2009 and 2013.

In that time, 15 states saw the top 1% account for all income growth, while average earnings fell among the bottom 99%. Here’s a list of those states, in reverse order of income gap:

Mississippi

The top 1% makes 16.9 times more than the bottom 99%

Maryland

The top 1% makes 17.0 times more than the bottom 99%

North Carolina

The top 1% makes 17.7 times more than the bottom 99%

Virginia

The top 1% makes 17.7 times more than the bottom 99%

South Carolina

The top 1% makes 18.1 times more than the bottom 99%

Missouri

The top 1% makes 20.0 times more than the bottom 99%

Louisiana

The top 1% makes 20.7 times more than the bottom 99%

Georgia

The top 1% makes 21.4 times more than the bottom 99%

Washington

The top 1% makes 21.8 times more than the bottom 99%

New Jersey

The top 1% makes 25.3 times more than the bottom 99%

Florida

The top 1% makes 34.7 times more than the bottom 99%

Nevada

The top 1% makes 38.3 times more than the bottom 99%

Wyoming

The top 1% makes 40.6 times more than the bottom 99%

Connecticut

The top 1% makes 42.6 times more than the bottom 99%

New York

The top 1% makes 45.4 times more than the bottom 99%

What Income Inequality Looks Like

Bummed out yet? Here are more striking statistics about post-recession income inequality:

In 10 states, the top 1% had double-digit income growth while incomes fell among the bottom 99%. These states were Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, South Carolina, Washington and Wyoming.

In 24 states, the top 1% of earners “captured between half and all income growth,” according to the paper, and in 19 states, 1 percenters “captured between 16.7% and just under half of all income growth.”

While this income growth escaped most people’s reach, the increasing cost of living did not. That’s not great for things like household budgeting, paying bills and debt obligations. (Two strong examples are the rising costs of education and student loan debt.)

Though your income has no direct bearing on your credit standing, it can strongly influence how you’re able to manage credit accounts or other bills. You can keep an eye on how these things are affecting your credit by getting two free credit scores once a month on Credit.com.