Now transpose the income graph over a cost-of-living graph and prepare to have your mind BLOWN.

Have you done this -- I'd like to see it.

You are more likely to be wealthy if you had wealthy parents. I'm pretty sure it really is that simple. Especially if you include a population having wealthy parents as the reason there were good public schools in the area, and anything else like that.

Their parents, and parents' parents, etc, were richer because of a few important factors. Geography at first, then the Civil War, and lots of smaller things in between and after.

Does the data also control for cities?

People who live in cities make more than those in rural areas, and there are more and larger population centers in the higher earning states you mention.

There was episode of Radiolab that talked about Southern Laziness being a real phenomenon, and that it was caused by widespread hookworm infections from walking through feces without shoes. There was even a program designed to get southerners to wear shoes and build proper latrines, which helped eradicate the problem

So, yeah, we probably have worms again.

Because you Yanks tore up railroad tracks, destroyed infrastructure, and pretty much burned down most of the South at the end of the Civil War and our economies are still trying to catch up.

We destroyed Japan and Germany more recently, and they are doing a lot better than the South.

I blame religion.

Work ethic, population density, bigger cities, higher cost of living, higher wages, better infrastructure, better work ethic.

A combination of all of the above. People in the NE are known to work harder than other people in the country.

As was mentioned upthread, lots of old money, lots of financial sector work
+ lots of union jerbs

Though it is changing. There have been shifts in the earnings from the NW to the South and Southwest, just not enough to overcome the head start.

Grew up many many years ago (57 now) in the NE. Spent last decade and half in SE (NC and GA). Owned businesses in both areas.

work ethic and sense of entitlement.

You brainiacs can figure out the cause,,, Imma jest gunna tell ya the effects

The South has a larger economy than both Germany and Japan.

I live in Louisiana and people here are dumb.

Here's a true story. When I was 16 my friend calls me up and says man, "I think someone hacked my aim account I can't login, can you try please?"

I said sure and then hopped on my computer. "What's your password?", I asked.

"Pocsoldier"

Typed it in the first chance and it went through. He's like "what, how'd that happen... let me try again." He tries again and it doesn't go through.

Then I ask, "how are you spelling it?"

"P - O - C - S - O - L - D - E - R"

Keep in mind that this is HIS password that HE made and he can't even spell soldier. Or I love how half of the text messages I get have words like "negotive" or "finanshall".

When I was in HS, a school of 2k+ students, the freshmen class (the year I was a senior) had over a 20% drop out rate. Hundreds of kids just stopped attending school.