Two Americas Election Map: Divided by paycheck

In our Two Americas coverage of the 2012 presidential election, we’re dividing the nation in two using a variety of numbers to see how each candidate performed in various segments of the economy. In this split, we’ve divided the nation by median income, using data from the Census Bureau. Then we split the country in two: one half with the top 25 states (plus the District of Columbia) ranked by median income and one half with the bottom 25 states, to see which candidate would have carried the vote. Using this data, Romney won the electoral college in the country with a lower median income — and President Obama was re-elected by a landslide in an America with a higher median income.

On the right: The top 25 states (plus the District of Columbia) ranked by median income. On the left: The bottom 25 states ranked by median income.