According to the US Census Bureau, Appalachian States continue to be the poorest in the country.

Median annual incomes for the Southern and Central Appalachians:

Alabama- $45,768

Georgia- $49,745

Kentucky- $43,953

Maryland- $69,695

North Carolina- $47,112

South Carolina- $47,680

Tennessee- $47,530

Virginia- $61,309

West Virginia- $40,827

Poor!
Virginia and Maryland are the outliers, in a large part because of their proximity to DC, and I’d guess their large deepwater ports in Richmond and Baltimore. You can rest assured that the mountain people in Western Maryland and Southwest Virginia are makin table scraps.

How long will this last? A few folks in Margaritaville are reaping the profits from the sweat off our back.

Congressmen/women, by the way, make $165,200 per year. Thats $118,088 more than an average person in my state. Congress is no different and they are certainly no help to the people of Appalachia.

And so the people of Appalachia are fighting back. Grassroots, community-based action is the way to do that. Will we be able to stop them the next time that coal says they are bringing “jobs” to our area? Maybe not. Will we let nuclear waste into our backyards because it will help “develop” and “expand” our community. Maybe so.

But as we wake up to the fact that we are being tken advantage of, every day more and more Appalachian people are giving coal and nuclear and anyone else who would exploit them an emphatic NO!

Enough is enough, and we should not agree for another day to let large, non-local industry exploit Appalachian families, our communities, our land, and our labor.

P.S.What are the richest states?
In a shocker, New Jersey, at $73,973, edges out Connecticut.
Huge hat tip to the Appalachian Green blog