Texas minimum wage $7.25
Gini Coefficient: 0.474
Median Income: $47,475 (22nd Lowest)
Households Earning $200,000+: 3.83% (16th Highest)
Population Living Below Poverty Line: 17.20% (8th Highest)
Texas has the largest percentage of its population falling either below the poverty line or making more than $200,000 a year, relative to the other states. Just over 21% of the state's population falls into one of these two camps, although most fall into the former group. According to an article from the St. Petersburg Times' PolitiFact.com, Texas had a GINI index of 0.37 in 1970, which increased to 0.42 in 1990, and is now 0.474, implying increasing long-term income inequality.
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While most of the nation has seen very little change in income levels and poverty rates, several states, including Texas, actually came out on the losing end of last year's income inequality numbers.
Thursday,
the United States Census Bureau released the 2013 community survey that dives into the statistics for local income across the country.
The report finds that Texas and 14 other states saw a significant rise in income inequality. This means people who are on the higher end of the income spectrum saw an increase in earnings and those on the lower end grew very little or saw no change.
According to a
Houston Chronicle report, also released on Thursday, the Census Bureau data shows that the 2013 median household income for the Houston metropolitan area was not statiscally different from a year after the Great Recession. The current average household income for the region is $57,366. However, the report notes, the percentage of Houston households earning more than $200,000 actually grew last year compared to any other group in the metro area.
Texas income inequality gap continues to grow - Houston Chronicle