LIST: Oregon annual incomes among worst in the West

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregon has the second-worst annual income levels in the West, according to a new report by WalletHub.

Oregon ranked 39th in WalletHub’s list of “states where people have the highest incomes.” Oregon fared far worse in the rankings than many of its Western neighbors, like Washington (5th), Utah (6th) Colorado (9th) and California (11th). The only Western state in the contiguous U.S. deemed to have a lower income level was New Mexico, which ranked 50th on the list of 50 U.S. States and D.C.

To determine the states with the best incomes, WalletHub compared the average annual income of the top 5% of earners in each state, the bottom 20%, and each state’s median income. These rates were also adjusted for the cost of living in each state. WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe stated that the personal finance company compared these groups to identify the states with the largest disparities in income.

“The highest-earning 10% of individuals in the United States earn over 12 times more than those in the lowest-earning 10%, based on the latest Census data,” Happe said. “By measuring the income of various percentiles against a state's median income, we can better identify where income disparities are more prevalent, which could help us better understand why residents of certain states struggle more to make ends meet.”

See how each Western State in the contiguous U.S. ranked in the list below: