News from TRAC

Income Gap Widens Between America's Richest and Poorest Counties

(30 Mar 2009) According to TRAC's analysis of the latest available tax information, the income gap between the nation's richest and poorest counties continues to widen. In the 2007 filing year, the average adjusted gross income (AGI) in Goochland County, VA ($137,045) was over thirteen times that of St. Bernard Parish, LA ($9,959). Even if St. Bernard Parish is excluded as an outlier in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Goochland County's AGI was still 7.8 times that of Jackson County, SD ($17,655). By contrast, in filing year 2006, the highest average AGI for a county was only 5.3 times that of the lowest.

TRAC's report on taxpayer income by county can be found at:

http://trac.syr.edu/tracirs/latest/205/

This report is being released in conjunction with the update of TRAC's IRS web site, which includes extensive information about the income of taxpayers in each of the nation's 3,140-plus counties. Included is information about AGI, wages and salaries, interest income, income from dividends, rents and royalties, and the number of dependents claimed for the filing year 2007. The data allow the comparison of any county with the others in its state and in the nation as a whole. Special tables list the 50 top and 50 bottom counties in each category.

Also included in this update are the latest figures from the Department of Justice on the criminal enforcement of cases referred by the IRS, presented with detailed maps, ranking tables, and individual district tables for the United States and each of 90 federal judicial districts.

For full details, go to the TRAC IRS web site

http://trac.syr.edu/tracirs

and click on "Taxpayer Burdens and Responsibilities" or "District Enforcement."

TRAC is self-supporting and depends on foundation grants, individual contributions and subscription fees for the funding needed to obtain, analyze and publish the data we collect on the activities of the US Federal government. To help support TRAC's ongoing efforts, go to:

http://trac.syr.edu/sponsor/