Worst states for Hispanics and Latinos

2. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania has one of the largest disparities in incarceration between white and Hispanic residents of any state. In 2011, the city of Philadelphia -- where approximately one quarter of the state’s Hispanic population lives -- agreed as part of settlement of a class action lawsuit to reform its police department to reduce racial profiling. Thinkstock

3. Connecticut: While Connecticut is one of the most wealthy states, it has some of the worst income inequality in the country. The median income for white households of $84,030 a year is more than $37,000 greater than the median income for Hispanic households of $46,808 -- the largest gap of any state other than neighboring Massachusetts. Thinkstock

4. Delaware: Few states have a larger poverty gap between Hispanics and whites than Delaware. Some 24.5% of the Hispanic population in the state lives in poverty, 16.9 percentage points above the 7.6% white poverty rate -- the fourth largest disparity of any state. Thinkstock

5. Minnesota: Minnesota has one of the worst disparities in high school attainment between whites and Hispanics of any state. Thinkstock

6. New York: Roughly 66% of Hispanics in New York state live in New York City. Many of the factors depressing homeownership rates for minorities nationwide -- discriminatory lending practices, income inequality, and rising home prices -- are amplified in New York City. Thinkstock

7. North Dakota: Hispanics are vastly overrepresented in the North Dakota prison population. Adjusted for population, Hispanics in North Dakota are incarcerated at a rate of 787 more prisoners per 100,000 residents than whites in the state, more than twice the national disparity. Thinkstock

8. Colorado: In Colorado, 15.7% of Hispanic adults have a bachelor’s degree, compared to the 46.0% of white adults in the state who do -- the largest disparity in college attainment of any state other than California. Income inequality in Colorado among the worst in the country. Thinkstock

9: New Jersey: While New Jersey has one of the larger and more engaged Hispanic communities -- the Hispanic population accounts for 19% of the population and 9% of the state legislature, some of the largest shares shares nationwide -- it has larger disparities in income, college attainment, and homeownership than nearly any other state. Thinkstock

10: Rhode Island: While Rhode Island has one of the larger and more active Hispanic communities -- the state has a long history of Latino social activists, and Providence elected its first Hispanic mayor in 2010 -- it is still one of the worst states for Hispanics by a number of measures. Thinkstock

11: South Dakota: Some 25.2% of the South Dakota Hispanic population lives in poverty, the 10th largest share of any state and far higher than the 8.4% white poverty rate. The gap of 16.8 percentage point in poverty rates between the two demographics is the fifth largest of any state and much larger than the 11.0 percentage point gap nationwide between the white and Hispanic poverty rates of 21.0% and 10.0%, respectively. Thinkstock

12. Nebraska: Only 55.6% of Hispanic adults in Nebraska have a high school diploma, the lowest high school attainment rate among Hispanics and Latinos of any state. Thinkstock, Getty Images/iStockphoto

13. Arizona: An estimated 30.5% of Arizona residents are Hispanic, the fourth largest share after California, Texas, and New Mexico. Arizona lawmakers have garnered criticism for the passing of Arizona SB 1070, a law requiring aliens over the age of 18 to carry identification, which according to some critics encourages racial profiling. Thinkstock

14: Mississippi: Mississippi is one of the worst states in the country for Hispanics and Latinos. The state has the highest Hispanic incarceration rate in the country with 4,869 Hispanics in jail for every 100,000 residents -- more than eight times the state’s white incarceration rate and well above the U.S. Hispanic incarceration rate of 831 per 100,000. Thinkstock

15: Washington: The income gap between the typical white household and the typical Hispanic household nationwide is about $16,000. In Washington, the gap is far greater. The typical white household in the state earns about $70,500 a year, nearly $20,000 more than the typical Hispanic household. Thinkstock

16: Iowa: Iowa has one of the largest gaps in education of any state between Hispanic and white state residents. Just 60.9% of Hispanic adults have graduated from high school, compared to the 93.7% of whites who have -- the third largest disparity of any state. Thinkstock

17. Kansas: While the unemployment rate for white workers in Kansas of 3.7% is lower than the national rate of 4.3% for the demographic, Hispanic workers are more likely to be unemployed in Kansas than in nearly any other state. Thinkstock

18: Oklahoma: About 1 in 4 Oklahoma residents who identify as Hispanic or Latino live below the poverty line, more than double the poverty rate among the state’s white residents of 12.3%. Not only are Hispanics far more likely to face serious financial hardship in Oklahoma than white residents, but also they are far more likely to be incarcerated. Thinkstock

19: California: Hispanic and Latino Americans comprise 38.6% of the population of California, the third largest share of any state after Texas and New Mexico. Hispanics in California still lag behind the white population in a number of important socioeconomic measures. Thinkstock

20: Idaho: Americans with college education are far more likely to earn higher incomes than those with only a high school diploma. In Idaho, only 9.1% of adults of Hispanic and Latino descent have a bachelor’s degree or higher, the smallest share of any state in the country. Thinkstock

21: Ohio: While an estimated 35.0% of white adults and 15.3% of Hispanic adults nationwide have a bachelor’s degree -- a 19.6 percentage point difference -- Ohio has one of the smaller disparities in higher education of any state. Some 19.7% of Hispanic adults in Ohio have a bachelor’s degree, the ninth largest share in the country and 8.9 percentage points below the 29.4% white college attainment rate. Thinkstock

22: Illinois: Joblessness is a much bigger problem for Illinois’ Hispanic population than it is among its white population. Some 6.7% of the state’s Hispanic labor force is out of a job, 1.7 percentage points higher than the 5.0% white unemployment rate. Thinkstock

23: Michigan: While a shortage of affordable housing, credit problems, and a lack of savings have historically made it more difficult for minorities to buy homes, the disparity in homeownership between whites and Hispanics is smaller in Michigan than in nearly any other state. Thinkstock

24: Oregon: Fewer than than 2 out of every 3 Hispanic adults in Oregon have completed high school. In stark contrast, nearly 94% of white adults in the state have at least a high school diploma. The over 30 percentage point difference in high school attainment in Oregon is nearly the largest such gap in the United States. Thinkstock

25: Utah: Utah is one of only a handful of states in which the unemployment rate among Hispanic workers is lower than it is among white workers. Only 3.3% of the Hispanic labor force is out of a job compared to 3.6% of the white labor force. Thinkstock

26: New Hampshire: Some 13.8% of Hispanic New Hampshire residents live in poverty, nearly the lowest Hispanic poverty rate of any state. The poverty gap between whites and Hispanics in the state is also relatively small. New Hampshire’s Hispanic poverty rate is only 7.1 percentage points higher than its white poverty rate. Thinkstock

27: North Carolina: North Carolina is fairly representative of the social and economic disparities that persist among Hispanics and whites nationwide. The typical Hispanic household earns $17,281 a year less than the typical white household, similar to the $16,273 difference in median household income between the two demographics nationwide. Thinkstock

28: Wyoming: Wyoming’s Hispanic population has a far more difficult time finding work than the state’s white population. The annual unemployment rate among Hispanic workers in the state is 6.9%, well above the state's white workers unemployment rate of 5.1% and the Hispanic unemployment rate nationwide of 5.8%. Thinkstock

29: South Carolina: Unlike in the vast majority of states, Hispanic residents may have a slightly easier time finding work in South Carolina than the state’s white residents. Unemployment among Hispanics is only 3.6% compared to 4.0% among white residents. Thinkstock

30: Indiana: Hispanics in Indiana are less likely to be hired, less likely to own a home, and more likely to be arrested than the state’s white residents. Still, by these measures, Hispanics in Indiana fare far better than Hispanic Americans overall. Thinkstock

31: Texas: Hispanic residents comprise 38.6% of the population of Texas, the largest share of any state other than New Mexico. While minorities are less likely to be homeowners than white Americans in every state, the gap in homeownership between white and Hispanic residents in Texas is the second smallest in the country. Thinkstock

32: Georgia: Nationwide, Hispanic workers are about 35% more likely to be unemployed than white workers. In Georgia, some 3.9% of the white workforce and 4.0% of the Hispanic workforce are unemployed, each some of the lowest and more equal figures of any state. Thinkstock

33: Florida: With 5.1 million residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino, Florida has the largest population of people of Spanish-speaking or Latin American origins of any state after California and Texas. Thinkstock

34: Montana: In the United States, some 15.3% of Hispanic adults and 35.0% white adults have a bachelor’s degree -- a difference of nearly 20 percentage points. In Montana, 24.1% of Hispanic adults have a bachelor’s degree, the fourth largest share of any state and only 8 percentage points less than the white college attainment rate of 31.9%. Thinkstock

35. Alabama: Some 30.1% of Hispanics in Alabama live below the poverty line, the largest such share of any state with the exception of Kentucky. Alabama also has the third largest gap in poverty rates between white and Hispanic residents of any state, at 17.9 percentage points. Thinkstock

36: Arkansas: Only 56.3% of Hispanic adults in Arkansas have completed high school, the second smallest Hispanic high school attainment rate of any state and well below the white residents high school attainment rate of 88.6%. Thinkstock

37: Kentucky: While Kentucky is one of the poorest states, the income gap between white and Hispanic residents in the state is relatively small. The typical Hispanic household in Kentucky earns about 80% of what the typical white household earns. Thinkstock

38: Wisconsin: Wisconsin is one of only five states in which unemployment is less common among Hispanics than it is among whites. Only 3.3% of the state’s Hispanic workers are out of a job compared to 3.8% of white workers. Thinkstock

39: Missouri: Missouri has one of the more equitable income distributions between white and Hispanic demographics of any state. Nationwide, the typical white household earns $63,155 a year, over $16,000 more than the median household income for Hispanic American households of $46,882. Thinkstock

40: Nevada: Nevada is one of only three states in which fewer than 1 in 10 adult Hispanic residents have at least a bachelor’s degree Meanwhile, some 27.7% of the state’s adult white residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Thinkstock

41: Tennessee: While incarceration and unemployment rates for Hispanic Americans nationwide are higher than for whites, the socioeconomic disparities between the two demographics are smaller in Tennessee than in most states. Thinkstock

42. Virginia: While there are always gaps between Hispanic and white populations of each states, the gaps in Virginia are not as wide as is typical nationwide in several important socioeconomic measures. Thinkstock

43: Maryland: Maryland is one of the wealthiest states and has relatively little income inequality between white and Hispanic residents. Some 12.4% of Maryland’s Hispanic population lives in poverty, the second smallest share of any state and just 5.3 percentage points above the 7.1% white poverty rate. Thinkstock

44. Alaska: While nationwide 5.8% of the Hispanic workforce and 4.3% of the white workforce is unemployed, in Alaska the Hispanic unemployment rate of 4.4% is lower than the white jobless rate of 5.0% -- one of five states in which Hispanic-white unemployment disparity is reversed. Thinkstock

45. Louisiana: Louisiana is one of only five states where Hispanics and Latinos are less likely to be jobless than white residents. Only 3.8% of the state’s Hispanic labor force is out of a job compared to 4.3% of the white labor force. Thinkstock

46. Hawaii: While Hispanic and Latino Americans comprise 17% of the U.S. population, they make up 19% of the total prison population. In Hawaii, however, Hispanics represent 10% of the population and just 9% of the prison population. Thinkstock

47. Vermont: Vermont has the highest Hispanic bachelor’s attainment rate and the smallest gap in college attainment of any state. Some 35.5% of Hispanic adults in Vermont have a bachelor’s degree, just 1 percentage point less than the 36.5% of white adults in the state who do. Thinkstock

48: Maine: While nationwide 92.5% of white adults and 67.1% of Hispanic adults have a high school diploma, in Maine the achievement gap between the two demographics is the smallest of any state. Thinkstock

49. New Mexico: Nearly one-half of New Mexico’s population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, the largest share of any state in the country. Partially as a result, about 1 in every 3 families in the state speaks Spanish at home. Due to the prevalence of Hispanics, the state government has enacted multiple protections for Spanish speakers. Thinkstock

50. West Virginia: The socioeconomic disparities between white and Hispanic Americans are smaller in West Virginia than in any other state. While on a national scale the typical white household earns over $16,000 more than the typical Hispanic household, in West Virginia white households earn $5,487 more than Hispanic households -- the smallest income gap of any state. Thinkstock