The 13 most unequal places in America, ranked

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The 13 most unequal places in America, ranked

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Five of the 13 most unequal metro areas in the US are in Florida, according to a report published by the Economic Policy Institute.

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Income inequality in America has been rising in every US state since the 1970s, found a 2018 report published by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).

In the report, researchers looked at 2015 tax return data to analyze the average income of the top 1% and the bottom 99% of a population, broken down by state, metropolitan area, and county.

As compared to the commonly used Gini coefficient measure of inequality, EPI's measure captures very high incomes better because, as the report notes, "it represents all the taxable income people earn in market transactions, such as the income earned from working for a wage or salary at a job, through interest on a savings account, or from selling a financial asset for more than its purchase cost (a capital gain)."

The report found that the most unequal metro area in America is the resort town of Jackson, Wyoming, where the average income of the top 1% is more than $16.1 million, and the average income of the bottom 99% is $122,447.

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Read more: A 3-day trip to Jackson Hole during what I thought would be the low season ended up being a valuable lesson in writing off ski towns as winter-only destinations

Below, Business Insider has ranked the 13 most unequal metro areas in the US, based on the EPI report, including the average income of the top 1%, the average income of the bottom 99%, and the top-to-bottom ratio.

Here are the most unequal places in America.

Andy Kiersz contributed to reporting.

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13. New York-Newark-Jersey City, New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania

13. New York-Newark-Jersey City, New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania

Average income of the top 1%: $2,425,384

Average income of the bottom 99%: $61,550

Top-to-bottom ratio: 39.4

12. North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida

12. North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida

Average income of the top 1%: $1,810,660

Average income of the bottom 99%: $42,021

Top-to-bottom ratio: 43.1

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11. Summit Park, Utah

11. Summit Park, Utah

Average income of the top 1%: $4,784,667

Average income of the bottom 99%: $110,003

Top-to-bottom ratio: 43.5

10. Gardnerville Ranchos, Nevada

10. Gardnerville Ranchos, Nevada

Average income of the top 1%: $2,272,387

Average income of the bottom 99%: $51,276

Top-to-bottom ratio: 44.3

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9. Hailey, Idaho

9. Hailey, Idaho

Average income of the top 1%: $3,115,982

Average income of the bottom 99%: $69,399

Top-to-bottom ratio: 44.9

8. Glenwood Springs, Colorado

8. Glenwood Springs, Colorado

Average income of the top 1%: $2,968,276

Average income of the bottom 99%: $66,015

Top-to-bottom ratio: 45.0

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7. Port St. Lucie, Florida

7. Port St. Lucie, Florida

Average income of the top 1%: $1,737,118

Average income of the bottom 99%: $38,212

Top-to-bottom ratio: 45.5

6. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Florida

6. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Florida

Average income of the top 1%: $2,345,381

Average income of the bottom 99%: $42,319

Top-to-bottom ratio: 55.4

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5. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut

5. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut

Average income of the top 1%: $6,290,951

Average income of the bottom 99%: $101,213

Top-to-bottom ratio: 62.2

4. Sebastian-Vero Beach, Florida

4. Sebastian-Vero Beach, Florida

Average income of the top 1%: $2,921,375

Average income of the bottom 99%: $2,921,375

Top-to-bottom ratio: 67.2

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3. Key West, Florida

3. Key West, Florida

Average income of the top 1%: $4,741,192

Average income of the bottom 99%: $58,295

Top-to-bottom ratio: 81.3

2. Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, Florida

2. Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, Florida

Average income of the top 1%: $5,590,120

Average income of the bottom 99%: $62,053

Top-to-bottom ratio: 90.1

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1. Jackson, Wyoming-Idaho

1. Jackson, Wyoming-Idaho

Average income of the top 1%: $16,161,955

Average income of the bottom 99%: $122,447

Top-to-bottom ratio: 132.0