What is the difference between community-property and equitable-distribution states?

There are 9 community-property states: Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. The 41 remaining states are equitable-distribution states.

In community-property states, all property a person acquires and income he or she earns during the marriage are considered community property. This means each spouse has a 50% interest in this property.

In equitable-distribution states, all property a person acquires and income he or she earns during the marriage are considered marital assets. A spouse has an equitable claim to the property acquired by the other spouse in his or her name during the marriage.