The stark disparity between America's wealthiest families and less affluent ones was a major theme of last year's election campaign.
In 2012, 6 million U.S. households out of some 118.5 million had $1 million or more in investable or liquid assets (excluding sponsored retirement plans or real estate), Phoenix Marketing International reported last month upon the release of its annual ranking of millionaires per capita by state and the District of Columbia.
Those well-to-do families represented about 5% of U.S. households, but controlled more than $22 trillion of liquid wealth, according to David Thompson, managing director of the Phoenix Global Wealth Monitor, which produced the ranking.
"That is a staggering number, and provides further evidence of the concentration of wealth in this country," Thompson said in a statement.
In the new ranking, three states continued to jostle one another for the top spot with the most millionaires per capita; they have traded places since the 2006 inception of the ranking.
A similar consistency appears at the bottom of the ranking of states with the fewest millionaire households.
Following are the top 10 states for millionaires per capita, and the bottom 10.
10 STATES WITH THE MOST MILLIONAIRES:
2012 Ratio of Ranking vs Prior Years
Rank State Millionaires to
Total Households 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006
1. Maryland 7.31% 1 2 2 2 2 3
2. Hawaii 7.29% 2 1 1 1 4 1
3. New Jersey 7.27% 3 3 3 3 1 2
4. Connecticut 7.21% 4 4 4 4 3 4
5. Massachusetts 6.51% 5 5 6 5 5 5
2012 Ratio of Ranking vs Prior Years
Rank State Millionaires to
Total Households 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006
6. Alaska 6.47% 6 6 7 10 8 14
7. Virginia 6.36% 7 7 5 6 6 7