Virginia’s median tops $174k, West Virginia $50k, per WalletHub. New York’s top 5% earns $545k. State income gaps show which consumer segments get the spending.
Alpha Score of 55 reflects moderate overall profile with strong momentum, poor value, strong quality, moderate sentiment.
The divide between the richest and poorest states by income runs deeper than any single figure captures. WalletHub's study uses three metrics. It measures the average income of each state's top 5% and bottom 20%. It also records the median for all residents. The ranking puts Virginia at No. 1 and West Virginia at No. 50. The national median sits at $83,700. That number conceals a spread of $124,000 between the two Virginias.
For anyone who allocates across sectors, these state-level numbers offer a more detailed signal than the national average. Virginia's top 5% earns $545,097 per year on average, second highest in the country. New York, No. 2 overall, has the highest top-5% income in the nation. Its bottom-20% residents rank only 45th, averaging $19,671 per year. The spending base in New York skews toward high end.
West Virginia's numbers tell the opposite story. Its top 5% ranks 46th, its bottom 20% ranks 45th, and its median income sits at $50,090. The WalletHub data points to a state where volume rather than price drives consumer spending.
The methodology uses three metrics instead of a single median because medians smooth away distribution. The top 5% average shows where the best customers live. The bottom 20% average shows where price competition is fiercest. The median offers a baseline for overall state demand.
Virginia and New York have high top-5% income levels. AAPL's premium pricing strategy aligns with those markets. The high concentration of wealthy households in those states supports willingness to spend on high-ticket items. Conversely, a discount retailer's volume base is stronger in states where the bottom 20% earns above $25,000 per year. WalletHub's data shows only four states: Virginia, Maryland, Connecticut, and Massachusetts meet that threshold.
The practical use is not that any single sector wins or loses from the ranking. It is that state-level income data refines the geographic risk and opportunity within consumer-facing portfolios. The spread between Virginia and West Virginia is one example. The same logic applies to any pair of states with large income differences. Checking the top 5% and bottom 20% averages for a company's key states adds a layer of insight that a national median cannot provide.
Prepared with AlphaScala research tooling and grounded in primary market data: live prices, fundamentals, SEC filings, hedge-fund holdings, and insider activity. Each story is checked against AlphaScala publishing rules before release. Educational coverage, not personalized advice.