Been diving into some economic data and found it pretty interesting how differently you can measure which are the richest states in the united states. Turns out it's not just about how much money people make there, but also the total economic output and poverty levels.

So economists use something called gross state product or GSP to figure this out. It's basically what each state produces in goods and services combined with median income and poverty rates. When you look at the richest states in the united states through this lens, some names pop up that you'd probably expect - California leading with $3.6 trillion in GSP, New York at $2.53 trillion, and Texas at $2.4 trillion. But the median incomes tell a different story sometimes.

Maryland actually has the highest median income at around $91k, followed by New Jersey at $89k and Massachusetts at $89k. Meanwhile some of the richest states in the united states by total output like Texas have lower median incomes around $67k. Alaska and New Hampshire both hit over $83k median income despite smaller overall state products.

What's interesting is the poverty rates don't always track with wealth. Utah has one of the lowest poverty rates at 8.8% even though it's not the highest income state. New Hampshire sits at 7.4% poverty. But New York, despite being an economic powerhouse, has poverty at 13.5% and Texas at 14%. So when people ask what are the richest states in the united states, the answer really depends on whether you're looking at total economic output, individual earnings, or economic stability. The data gets pretty complex when you factor in all three.