Missouri Again Ranked Among Poorest States, But There’s Good News

There are a lot of ways to measure wealth. If you're looking purely at dollars and economies, Missouri is sadly again ranked among the poorest states in America for 2025, but there's some good news, too.

If you just look at the surface of Homesnack's very recent richest states to live in, you won't find Missouri anywhere near the top of the list. Nope. Missouri is way down near the bottom as the 42nd "richest" state for 2025.

How did they decide Missouri was so dang poor?

The methodology included data on incomes, poverty, jobs, etc.

When does the good news about Missouri being poor start?

If you start factoring in taxes and cost of living, Missouri starts looking pretty good. Missouri is ranked as the 6th cheapest state to live in according to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center.

There are also many different ways to measure "wealth" and "richness"

As a vagabond who was born and raised in Missouri, but traveled all across America for jobs, let me tell you that the grass may look greener on the other side of the fence, but it rarely is. Missouri has 4 distinct seasons. You may think that's not a big deal, but you appreciate it when you live somewhere that doesn't. Missouri has a wide variety of geography. Hills, rivers, lots of trees...it's easy to take for granted, but good luck finding a tree in someplace like Idaho.

Is Missouri one of the "poorest" states in America? Certain numbers say yes, but I'd argue the more important ones prove how rich we really are.