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Nevada median income: Here's where the state ranks, according to WalletHub

Portrait of Carly Sauvageau Carly Sauvageau
Reno Gazette Journal

Nevada’s median income ranks in the lower half of states, according to a 2025 analysis by WalletHub.

The personal finance website used U.S. Census Bureau data to compare income levels across the country, including what people in the middle earn, as well as the average income for the richest 5% and the poorest 20%.

Here’s a look at where Nevada ranked for median annual income compared to other states, along with the average income of the wealthiest 5% and poorest 20% in the Silver State.

What is the average income in Nevada?

Nevada ranked No. 32 in WalletHub’s list, which ranks states from lowest to highest by median annual income, with Nevada’s at $84,612. Nevada’s wealthiest 5% earned an average of $419,998, while the poorest 20% earned $15,203.

What is middle class income in Nevada?

SmartAsset, which provides consumer-focused financial information, released a February study estimating middle-class income ranges in every state. In Nevada, a household is considered middle class if it makes between $50,904 and $152,728. However, that range can change at the city level.

What is a livable salary in Nevada?

Though the Silver State's minimum wage is nearly 40% higher than the federal rate, the $12 hourly pay of a minimum wage worker in Nevada falls well below what it takes to afford the cost of living, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's living wage calculator.

According to MIT, a single adult with no children would need to make $23.85 an hour, nearly double the state's minimum wage, to afford the cost of living. Even in a dual-income household with no children, MIT calculates the living wage is nearly $5 more an hour than the state's minimum wage.

What state has the highest median annual income? What state has the lowest?

Below is WalletHub’s list of states ranked by median annual income, from lowest to highest. This list reflects only median income, not WalletHub’s overall ranking, which also factored in earnings for the richest 5% and the poorest 20% of residents. Nevada ranked No. 32 in both.

Ranking / state / median annual income

  1. Mississippi / $48,630
  2. Arkansas / $53,166
  3. West Virginia / $55,201
  4. Kentucky / $57,716
  5. Alabama / $57,774
  6. Louisiana / $58,352
  7. Oklahoma / $59,284
  8. Tennessee / $61,902
  9. Missouri / $62,391
  10. New Mexico / $62,464
  11. Ohio / $64,455
  12. Michigan / $64,806
  13. South Carolina / $66,038
  14. North Carolina / $66,565
  15. Indiana / $66,989
  16. Georgia / $69,815
  17. Kansas / $71,329
  18. Iowa / $71,552
  19. South Dakota / $72,189
  20. Florida / $72,684
  21. Montana / $72,701
  22. Texas / $73,718
  23. Idaho / $74,521
  24. Nebraska / $75,610
  25. Wisconsin / $75,780
  26. Pennsylvania / $77,581
  27. Wyoming / $78,702
  28. Arizona / $78,746
  29. Illinois / $81,549
  30. North Dakota / $81,960
  31. Maine / $83,800
  32. Nevada / $84,612
  33. Minnesota / $89,434
  34. Delaware / $90,873
  35. Virginia / $93,275
  36. Vermont / $94,544
  37. New York / $95,033
  38. Utah / $95,101
  39. Oregon / $95,357
  40. Colorado / $102,825
  41. Washington / $109,171
  42. Rhode Island / $110,458
  43. New Hampshire / $116,255
  44. Alaska / $117,767
  45. Connecticut / $118,346
  46. New Jersey / $122,447
  47. Maryland / $128,496
  48. California / $129,884
  49. Massachusetts / $133,946
  50. Hawaii / $146,646
  51. Washington, D.C. / $169,153