DC Region Dominates List of Richest Counties

• November 12, 2010
• 5 Comments

by Will Smith

Historic farm on the market in Loudoun County

Newsweek published a list this week of the top ten wealthiest counties in the U.S., and the area around Washington, DC dominates the rankings. Maryland has four of the counties, while Virginia has three. The data is based on 2009 median household income as collected by the U.S. Census Bureau last year.

Here are the top ten, with local counties bolded:

1. Loudoun County, VA, with median household income of $114,204
2. Fairfax County, VA, $102,499
3. Howard County, MD, $101,940
4. Morris County, NJ, $96,787
5. Arlington County, VA, $96,218
6. Montgomery County, MD, $94,420
7. Nassau County, NY, $92,776
8. Somerset County, NJ, $89,871
9. Calvert County, MD, $89,289
10. Charles County, MD, $89,115

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/dc_region_dominates_list_of_richest_counties/2671

5 Comments

1. Mike said at 5:22 pm on Friday November 12, 2010:

   Definitely higher incomes, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to wealth, given we also live in one of the most expensive areas in the US.  When I lived in Texas my income was 2/3 of what I make in DC, but my income went way further.  I’d need to make 2 times what I made in Texas to have the same standard of living because housing is so expensive here.

1. dzad said at 8:10 pm on Saturday November 13, 2010:

   i couldn’t agree more with the statement by Mike.  I’m from Houston and although I can never make as much as I do here there, I could live just as well.

1. Ariya said at 11:53 am on Monday November 15, 2010:

   I totally agree with Mike and dzad.  I’m also from Houston and although I now make more than twice the amount than I did in Houston, I now have much less disposable income here (mainly due to high housing costs).

1. Harper said at 12:32 pm on Monday November 15, 2010:

   Ditto the comments on Texas. 

   I grew up in Mississippi and houses still go for $100/sq ft there.  My parents have a 4000+ sq ft mansion there that costs the same as my 2 BR condo in DC.  Sure, I make a lot more than I would make in MS, but it’s not 4x as much!!!

1. fun said at 4:17 pm on Monday November 15, 2010:

   You are paying for the privilege of living in the DC Metro area.  You may not like what you buy, but you are buying it all the same, and you are indeed wealthier than you were when you lived in Texas.

   If everybody in Loudon County spent $114,000 per year on bubble gum, they’d still be wealthy.  They just wouldn’t be spending that wealth in a way that made them happy.

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