MONTGOMERY – The income gap between Alabama’s richest and poorest families has widened considerably over the last two decades, giving the state the second-highest level of income inequality in the nation, according to a study released Tuesday.

Only New York has greater income inequality between the top and the bottom, according to the study, “Pulling Apart: A State-by-State Analysis of Income Trends,” by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C.