#1: Alabama
Minimum wage: $7.25
Wealthy residents in Alabama often cluster around Birmingham, Huntsville, and coastal areas. Many work in aerospace, defense, healthcare, finance, or run multigenerational businesses. Their lives feature large homes, private schooling, travel, and proximity to growing job hubs tied to technology and manufacturing investment from domestic and international companies expanding rapidly.
On the lower-income side, many Alabamians work minimum-wage or hourly jobs in retail, food service, agriculture, and caregiving. Rural areas face fewer employers and longer commutes. Rising housing, transportation, and healthcare costs make saving difficult, even for households working full-time. Public assistance and community networks often fill critical gaps locally.