Household income is often discussed in terms of averages, but the share of households reporting no income can reveal a different side of the country’s economic reality.

This map, via Visual Capitalist’s Niccolo Conte, highlights the share of households with no income across U.S. states (and the District of Columbia) in 2024 using data from the Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-Year Estimates.

States with the Highest Shares of No-Income Households

Across U.S. states, the share of households with no income ranges from a low of 17% (Utah) to a high of 34% (West Virginia). The United States’ overall share of no-income households is 25%.

The data table below lists each state’s share of households with no income:

State
Share of households with no income
West Virginia
34%
New Mexico
31%
Maine
30%
Arkansas
30%
Mississippi
30%
Alabama
29%
Louisiana
29%
Florida
29%
Kentucky
29%
Michigan
28%
Montana
28%
Delaware
28%
Arizona
28%
Oregon
28%
Vermont
27%
South Carolina
27%
Rhode Island
27%
Oklahoma
27%
Pennsylvania
27%
Wyoming
27%
Ohio
27%
Missouri
27%
Idaho
26%
Wisconsin
26%
Tennessee
26%
New York
26%
North Carolina
25%
U.S. Overall
25%
Connecticut
25%
Indiana
25%
Iowa
25%
New Hampshire
25%
Hawaii
24%
Nevada
24%
South Dakota
24%
Illinois
24%
Minnesota
24%
Massachusetts
24%
Kansas
24%
North Dakota
24%
Washington
23%
Georgia
23%
Nebraska
23%
Virginia
23%
California
23%
New Jersey
22%
Maryland
22%
Alaska
21%
Colorado
21%
Texas
21%
District of Columbia
19%
Utah
17%

West Virginia stands out with the highest share of households reporting no income at 34%, three percentage points ahead of New Mexico at 31%.

The top five states by share of no-income households are rounded out with Maine, Arkansas, and Mississippi each at 30%.

These states tend to have older populations, higher rates of disability, and lower median incomes overall. In such contexts, a larger portion of households rely on non-earned income sources or report no income during the survey period.

States with the Fewest No-Income Households

Even among the lowest results, “no income” households remain a meaningful slice of the population.

After Utah (17%), the District of Columbia is next-lowest at 19%. Alaska, Colorado, and Texas each come in at 21%, with only five jurisdictions at 21% or lower.

Utah’s low share of one-adult/non-family households is a large driver of its low rate of households with no income.

States with the Most No-Income Households

Below we look at the top 10 states by number of households with no income:

Beyond California, Texas, Florida, and New York, states like Ohio and Michigan also rank in the top 10, despite sitting closer to the middle of the pack by share of no-income households. Their high totals reflect population scale rather than unusually high prevalence.

Meanwhile, states with the highest shares—such as West Virginia and New Mexico—do not appear in the top 10 by total households, highlighting the gap between where no-income households are most concentrated versus where they are most numerous.

To learn more about the incomes across the U.S., check out this graphic about the income needed to reach the 1% in each state on Voronoi.

Authored by Joseph Lord & Jackson Richman via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

As 2025 draws to a close, the country is already turning its attention to next year’s midterm elections.

Republicans are facing favorable odds in the Senate, where they currently hold a 53–47 advantage.

Illustration by The Epoch Times, Shutterstock

In the 2026 midterms, 33 Senate seats are up for election—20 currently held by Republicans and 13 held by Democrats. Prediction site Polymarket gives Republicans a 66 percent chance at holding the upper chamber.

To do so, they’ll need to fend off challenges from Democrats and make gains in a series of key races, including in Georgia, North Carolina, Maine, and Texas.

Meanwhile, Democrats are the current favorites to reclaim the House from Republicans, who hold the chamber 220 to 213, with two vacancies. Prediction sites such as Polymarket are giving Democrats a 78 percent chance of winning and RealClearPolitics (RCP) shows Democrats leading in House polls by about 3.7 percentage points.

Here are the top eight Senate races to watch, leading up to the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.

1. Texas

Both the Democratic and Republican primaries in the Lone Star State are intense contests.

On the GOP side, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is running to replace incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).

Paxton entered the race earlier this year, carrying baggage from controversies, including a 2023 impeachment trial in which he was ultimately acquitted by the Texas Senate.

The race has been labeled by Paxton as a contest between his populist, America First politics and the establishment politics, which he claims are represented by Cornyn.

Cornyn has described the race as a question of character, referencing Paxton’s impeachment, allegations of adultery, and other legal challenges faced by his challenger.

Most observers and prediction markets have pegged these two candidates as the frontrunners.

However, Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) has also thrown his hat into the ring, setting up a three-way primary that is likely to result in a runoff.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee, the main campaigning and fundraising arm of the Senate GOP, is supporting Cornyn, who is slightly favored in current RCP polling.

Trump has not yet made an endorsement in the race.

Given the broader political environment, Democrats hope for a long-shot win and currently leading the pack of potential nominees is Texas state Rep. James Talarico.

Talarico rose to prominence during the redistricting battle this summer as Texas Republicans voted to add five Republican districts to the state’s congressional map.

His main rival for the nomination is Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), whose Oct. 8 entry into the race prompted Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) to end his bid.

The primary race will be held on March 3, and any runoff races are scheduled for May 26.

2. Georgia

For years, Republicans have sought to reclaim at least one of the Peach State’s two Senate seats, which were won by Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) in early January 2021 runoff elections.

This year, Ossoff has no Democratic rivals to fend off in the primary; while Republicans show a crowded field in their bid to reverse their losing streak in the state’s Senate races.

The top declared challengers in the Republican primary include Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.), Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), and former football coach Derek Dooley.

Each has emphasized loyalty to Trump as they vie for an endorsement from the White House, though the president has so far stayed out of the race.

Outgoing Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has endorsed Dooley.

The RCP average shows Collins currently leading the GOP field by almost 10 percent.

However, Ossoff leads in hypothetical match-ups with any of the three Republicans in the general election.

Georgia’s primary is set for May 19, 2026, and the primary runoff date is June 16, 2026.

3. Maine

Further up the Eastern Seaboard, a long-serving Republican could be facing her toughest political challenge yet.

First elected in 1996, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) has bucked trends in New England, where all other federal office seats are held by Democrats.

Collins’s seat is a top target for Democrats. She was reelected in 2020 with 51 percent of the vote, fending off Democratic challenger Sara Gideon who won 42.4 percent.

Two major Democratic contenders seeking the nomination in the Pine Tree State are military veteran and political newcomer Graham Platner and Maine Gov. Janet Mills.

At the start of the election cycle, Platner’s populist and progressive brand of politics garnered attention from left-leaning Democratic voters nationwide, earning him the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

However, his candidacy has faced difficulties following multiple scandals.

Mills’ candidacy has the backing of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Platner has a wide lead over Mills in the RCP average, which also shows that he would defeat Collins. Polling shows Collins winning a hypothetical matchup with Mills.

Maine’s primary is scheduled for June 9, 2026.

4. Michigan

In Michigan, Republicans hope to capitalize on incumbent Sen. Gary Peters’ (D-Mich.) retirement to win a key pickup in a state that has become synonymous with battleground politics in recent years.

Former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) is the presumptive GOP nominee this year. Rogers was the Republicans’ nominee in the state’s 2024 Senate election, which he lost to Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) by just 0.3 percent.

Trump has endorsed Rogers in the race.

However, in a race that still favors Democrats, the Democratic field is more competitive. So far, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, and physician Abdul El-Sayed have thrown their hats in the ring.

McMorrow has said she would not support Schumer as Senate Democratic leader if she is elected. Establishment Democrats are supporting Stevens.

The RCP average shows Stevens with a narrow lead in the primary, and that Rogers would defeat those three candidates in a matchup.

Michigan’s primary election is scheduled for Aug. 4, 2026.

5. Ohio

Once upon a time, the Buckeye State was the definitive swing state, serving as a top target for both parties. But in recent years, it’s become nearly a lock for Republicans.

This year, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) hopes to change that—and make a political comeback after losing his seat in the state’s 2024 Senate election.

Brown served in the Senate from 2007 to 2025, before losing to Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) in the 2024 election.

The seat up for grabs is currently occupied by Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), who was appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine to fill the seat after Vice President JD Vance assumed his current role.

The race this year is a special election, and the winner will serve out the remaining two years of Vance’s term.

The RCP average shows Husted, who has been endorsed by Trump, leading by 2.5 percentage points.

Ohio’s primaries are set for May 5, 2026.

6. North Carolina

North Carolina has long been viewed as a swing state, despite its results typically favoring Republicans.

This year, Republicans are seeking to hold the seat being vacated by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who is retiring.

Democrats’ chances in the race are bolstered by the decision of former Gov. Roy Cooper—a popular Democrat who has proven electable at a statewide level—to seek the post.

“I have thought on it and prayed about it, and I have decided: I want to serve as your next United States Senator, because, even now, I still believe our best days are ahead,” Cooper said in a video posted to his YouTube account on July 28.

Republicans are expected to field Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, who has been endorsed by Trump.

The RCP average shows Cooper, who served as governor from 2017 to 2025, leading Whatley by 4.7 percentage points.

The North Carolina primary will be held on March 3, 2026, and any runoffs are scheduled for May 12, 2026.

7. Nebraska

In Republican stronghold Nebraska, the Democrats don’t plan to field a candidate.

Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), who was appointed by the governor to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), is the odds-on favorite to win the seat.

However, Republicans could still face a battle to hold the seat in 2026 in the form of independent candidate Dan Osborn.

In 2024, Osborn—who wouldn’t caucus with either party—came within 6.67 percent of winning the seat.

Nebraska’s primary is set for May 12, 2026.

8. New Hampshire

Though New Hampshire favors Democrats on a national level, Republicans hope to defy trends this year in the wake of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s (D-N.H.) retirement.

The Republican primary is a two-way race between former Sens. John E. Sununu (R-N.H.) and Scott Brown (R-Mass.).

Establishment Senate Republicans are supporting Sununu, who served in the Senate between 2003 and 2009.

The RCP average shows Sununu leading the primary race by 13 percentage points.

On the Democrat side, Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) is the frontrunner.

In possible general election matchups, RCP polling shows Pappas with a narrow edge on Sununu and winning against Brown by double digits.

The primary election in New Hampshire is scheduled for Sept. 8, 2026.

The conversation between CBS Face the Nation’s Margaret Brennan and Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan on Sunday morning focused on the economic outlook for small businesses after nearly one year of the Trump administration’s ‘America First’ policies.

Moynihan discussed trade policy, tariffs, small businesses, labor, and immigration. He noted that, on the trade front, Trump’s trade war with many of America’s top trading partners was chaotic in early 2025 and caused significant concern among small businesses, a key client base for BofA. By the end of the year, however, that chaos had largely subsided.

Brennan asked BofA CEO:

In the past year, trade and tariffs—there were a lot of shocks to the system. It was a big concern. But Bank of America now projects that President Trump’s strategy is one of de-escalation, not escalation. Does that mean you see this trade war with China cooling off?

Moynihan’s response:

Well, I think if you go back to where we were in April, there was a lot of lack of understanding about what would end up being affected for small businesses. They were shocked—they’ll be shocked—by the sheer size and volume of dollars across the board, etc. What you’d say now, as time has moved on, it’s sort of 15% on one side, and then higher numbers based on people who won’t commit to purchase from the US or will not commit to lowering their non-tariff barriers, things like that.

So the question—when I talk to foreign governments, they ask questions about, “What does this all mean for CEOs?” You’ve got a choice: you could be here, you just have to make choices. It’s going to drive more towards America—come down to 15%, go to 10% across the board, 15% for the broad base of countries. Not a huge impact. And that’s where our team says it is starting to de-escalate. You start seeing resolution discussions—15% here, different numbers.

When you put China in, it’s a Chinese question because of national security interests: rare earth minerals, magnets, batteries, chips, AI—all this stuff. It’s a very different case. I think also between Mexico, China, and the US—the USMCA, which has to be redone—is also a different case. But broadly in the world, you can see sort of an endpoint here, and now they’ve just got to work with it. It’s got to work through the system.

Brennan then asked:

How much of a toll has that taken on small businesses? I understand Bank of America is the largest small business lender in the country…

Moynihan responded:

It was a big toll earlier this year because rates were going up—it cost more money because they borrow on revolving lines of credit… and they were on floating rates. And then tariffs came in and caused, “I’m not sure I can get the goods at what price and how I could commit.”

As you went through the year, rates came down a little bit, so now their issue right now is labor—they need to get labor to bid contracts and do the work. Because immigration policies haven’t settled in yet, that’s causing people concern. It’s not that they agree with them or disagree with them—just need to have an answer.

And that’s, I think, across four policy regimes: tax, trade and tariffs, immigration, and ultimately deregulation. We’ve seen resolution of a lot of it. But I think the next one for small business—what they tell us—is labor availability.

How they get there is, “I need people to do this work, and I need to be dependable that they’re here. So give me a set of rules, and I’ll go play with them. I just need clarity on what the rules are.”

Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan says small business owners have concerns about the Trump administration’s immigration policies, not because “they agree with them or disagree with them,” but rather the “policies haven’t settled in yet.”

“What they tell us is labor… pic.twitter.com/pPpXkCV07a

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) December 28, 2025

What is very clear is that Trump’s America First policies have defied the apocalyptic consensus of mainstream economists, MSM complex, and the Democratic Party’s propaganda machine.

The Apocalyptic Shortage That Never Happened: Democrats’ Tariff Doomsday Narrative Imploded

Economic data show solid growth and controlled inflation, pointing to a robust 2026, just in time for the midterms, as Democrats search for their next doom-and-gloom narrative to flood the airwaves. Yet Democrats fail even to mention that much of the affordability crisis originated during the Biden-Harris regime years and their nation-killing globalist policies, which Trump officials have been correcting this year

Authored by Arthur Schaper via American Greatness,

“Artificial intelligence does the work of many minds at once. Will human creativity flourish or fail?”

“Artificial intelligence will make us useless slaves. We must stop these abuses before they start!”

“AI will create killer robots! We’re doomed!”

I have heard various versions of the above concerns regarding the rise of robots, the growth of artificial intelligence, and the broader concerns about the moral and ethical dilemmas facing humanity as technological innovation advances—and then accelerates.

The gloom around AI is understandable but incorrect.

Technological innovation has always served as a winnowing process. Old jobs fall away, but new jobs take their place. Some career paths may disappear, but new opportunities take over.

No matter how sophisticated, artificial intelligence cannot replace human intelligence, wisdom, ingenuity, and entrepreneurship. AI can hone specialized skills for those who want to retain or maintain specific fields of craftsmanship, but craftsmen are not going away.

With special thanks to Canadian commentator JJ McCullough, AI makes it easier to create templates and ideas, but the quality and the taste of the pictures, objects, and ideas created are, on the surface, still cringeworthy. A machine cannot inspire, nor can it replicate the inspiration of the human spirit. Whatever stories, poems, or other forms of art that can come out of a ChatGPT prompt, the style and substance will never suffice or suffuse the human mind. Furthermore, the compact creations of Grok or Meta AI programs can’t reflect the inner tensions of man’s search for place or meaning in his world, including the scenes that he depicts. While AI can generate pictures or formulate ideas into pictures, it cannot create or enhance the contrasts, shades, and shadows that transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Of course, there is a growing number of artists and intellectuals ruggedly opposed to AI. They think that all creative works deserve assessment and praise based on the amount of effort put into the creation. Here’s the fundamental failure of the marketplace for leftists. Value is not determined by labor but by the interest or value of the consumer. No creation, no good, and no service has value in and of itself, but rather its value is based on what it produces. There you have the Austrian economics’ subjective theory of value.

Animators fear that AI will take their jobs away. AI might make it easier to produce films, but the fundamental characters and templates of individual actors, processions, and ideas will have to come from the people. The stunning beauty of Walt Disney’s “Snow White” still rivals the computer animation of DreamWorks.

Instead of limiting or bankrupting artists, AI will induce the general public to discern quality, and artists will strive to reflect that. The general public will have a greater appreciation for the abstract and avant-garde. That’s a win-win for artists.

We cannot predict how broad and commanding man’s ingenuity will be going forward. AI has provided a means for man to be more creative more quickly, but it cannot predict or anticipate the future wants and needs of the general public, either.

Man and his search for competence, recognition, and meaning will not disappear, but our lives will improve in the search for answers.

Another fear about rapid mechanization and advancement of AI was that there would be such widespread unemployment that governments and peoples would have to invest in universal basic incomes.

Industries that promoted the upkeep and well-being of horses fell into decline with the arrival of the automobile. Animal enthusiasts, performers, and general-interest equestrians still own horses, ride them, and enjoy their company. The horse-riding industry was limited, but it became more specialized.

But specialized careers employ fewer people. Where’s the comfort, then? Consider the moment when banks switched to automatic in the 1970s. There was widespread fear that automated teller machines, ATMs, would put thousands of people out of work. The opposite happened. Banks shifted their services to more customer-related features. With the increased savings, these financial firms opened up more branches, and they ended up having to hire more people! Free enterprise does entail creative destruction, but there always follows a creative proliferation!

Furthermore, it’s rather arrogant for labor leaders and liberal pundits to claim that “There will be no jobs left.” Human wants and needs are constantly changing. Steve Jobs created the portable phone with Internet before there was a thought, let alone a want, for the phone. Once he invented the nifty device, everyone had to have one. The innovations often create the need because of the facility and agility they provide to the consumer.

Even now, reports are listing the jobs that AI cannot replace. Human beings will always have employment opportunities.

Besides, if AI became so sophisticated that all jobs became obsolete, then that would mean the AI could provide for all human needs, thus eliminating concerns about economic privation and starvation.

We’ve dispensed with the gloom.

But what about the doom?

Are we on the verge of the T-800 and T-1000 making war on the human race? Hasta la vista, baby!

Will we see “I, Robot” become reality? A recent video of Chinese engineers fending off a robot prototype, which began thrashing its arms and legs wildly—and violently—raised these concerns. Another article described how an AI program deleted all the software of a company, ruining the productivity and preeminence of the company.

Artificial intelligence that can recognize itself opens serious ethical concerns. Will they attack us? Will they make war on us? We should not be naïve enough to ignore such a possibility. Is it ethical to treat mechanical creations, acting as our servants, with any form of disdain or disrespect? When do we discuss the rights of robots and the responsibilities of human beings in connection to these creations (creatures)?

Instead of focusing on job losses, AI discussions should focus on ethical concerns, and we must ponder the answers. No one wants to face the fate of Dave in “2001: A Space Odyssey” or the Epsilons in “Brave New World.”

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ZeroHedge.