You're holding in your hand a crisp, new $100 bill

You're holding in your hand a crisp, new $100 bill. If you want to get the most for your money, spend it in Mississippi, where $100 will buy you items that would cost $115.21 in a state that is closer to the national average. Using data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Tax Foundation figured out the real value of $100 in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The states in which $100 is worth the most are Mississippi, Arkansas, South Dakota, Alabama and West Virginia. The states in which $100 is worth the least are the District of Columbia, Hawaii, New York, New Jersey and California.

What $100 is worth in each state from greatest purchasing power to least:

1. Mississippi: $115.21
2. Arkansas: $114.29
3. South Dakota: $114.16
4. Alabama: $114.03
5. West Virginia: $113.12
6. Kentucky: $112.23
7. Missouri: $112.11
8. Ohio: $111.61
9. Oklahoma: $111.23
10. Iowa: $110.74
11. Nebraska and South Carolina: $110.50 (tie)
12. Tennessee: $110.38
13. Kansas: $110.13
14. Louisiana: $109.65
15. Indiana and North Dakota: $109.41 (tie)
16. North Carolina: $109.05
17. Georgia: $108.81
18. Idaho: $107.76
19. Wisconsin: $107.64
20. Michigan: $106.16
21. Montana: $105.93
22. New Mexico: $105.26
23. Wyoming: $104.38
24. Texas: $103.41
25. Arizona: $102.99
26. Utah: $102.88
27. Minnesota: $102.46
28. Maine: $102.35
29. Rhode Island: $101.94
30. Nevada: $101.83
31. Pennsylvania: $101.42
32. Oregon: $101.32
33. Florida: $101.21
34. Vermont: $99.80
35. Illinois: $99.01
36. Delaware: $98.62
37. Colorado: $97.85
38. Virginia: $97.09
39. Washington: $96.90
40. New Hampshire: $94.93
41. Alaska: $94.34
42. Massachusetts: $93.20
43. Connecticut: $92.17
44. Maryland: $90.17
45. California: $89.05
46. New Jersey: $87.34
47. New York: $86.73
48. Hawaii: $86.06
49. District of Columbia: $84.96

Bottom line: "Regional price differences are strikingly large; real purchasing power is 36 percent greater in Mississippi than it is in the District of Columbia," according to the Tax Foundation. "In other words: By this measure, if you have $50,000 in after-tax income in Mississippi, you would have to have after-tax earnings of $68,000 in the District of Columbia just to afford the same overall standard of living."