Wyoming county ranks highest in income, inequality an issue

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP)-Wyoming's Teton County led the nation in per-capita income at $252,000 last year, a statistic that may come as a surprise to most of the 23,000 people living there.

The recently released data from the U.S. Bureau of Economy Analysis shows that it's the first time in U.S. history the total annual income divided per resident exceeded a quarter-million dollars in one county.

But the Jackson Hole News & Guide reports the number presents a distorted economic picture of a scenic tax haven for the ultra-rich that and masks extreme income inequality.

About 87% of residents earn less than $200,000 and many are in low-paying tourism jobs.