Hawaii ranks No. 2 in millionaire households per capita

Global Wealth Monitor published by Phoenix Marketing International ranks Hawaii as second among the 50 states for per capita ratio of millionaires. Maryland edged Hawaii this year, having the most millionaire households per capita, according to the report.

Hawaii had held the top spot on the annual list every year since 2006 except for in 2007, when New Jersey, Maryland and Connecticut pushed Hawaii to No. 4. This year, Maryland claimed the top spot by a hair, with 7.22 percent of households considered millionaires, compared to 7.21 percent in Hawaii. While Hawaii dropped to No. 2 on the list this year, the state’s ratio of millionaire households has steadily increased since 2009, when it dropped to 6.41 percent.

A millionaire household is defined as one in which members have $1 million or more in investable, liquid assets, excluding retirement plans and real estate, according to Phoenix Marketing International.

“This is the closest it’s ever been between the top two states,” said David Thompson, managing director of the wealth monitor. “All of the top 10 states increased their millionaire ratios during the past year, which underscores that the richest states keep getting richer,” he said.

The company calculates its data of affluent and high net worth households in the U.S. from mid-year to mid-year. As of June, the number of millionaires grew by 6.9 percent from the same period in 2010, the company said.