Richest Counties in America by Median Household Income
Loudoun County, VA is the richest county in America, with a median household income of $181,765 — roughly double the national median of $80,734, and 44.7% of its households earn $200,000 or more. The table ranks the 100 highest-income counties (and county equivalents) with at least 10,000 residents.
Top 10 by Median Household Income
The list is a map of America's high-income metro rings. Virginia alone places 20 counties in the top 100 — the suburban counties around Washington, DC have led this ranking for two decades, with Loudoun County and Santa Clara County at the front — and most other entries orbit the same handful of job centers: the Bay Area, New York, Boston, Denver, and the Texas metros. Commuter counties dominate because they capture metro salaries without metro poverty: the central county of a big city almost never outranks its suburbs.
County medians hide as much as city medians do — a rich county can contain modest towns, which is why the richest cities ranking tops out far higher than any county here. For the state-level view see the richest states, and to see what those incomes buy against local housing costs, the salary needed to buy a home in every state.
Full Rankings
| # | County | Median Income | Population | $200k+ Households | Home Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Loudoun County, VA | $181,765 | 432,998 | 44.7% | $743,800 |
| 2 | Santa Clara County, CA | $164,281 | 1,902,047 | 41.6% | $1,490,600 |
| 3 | San Mateo County, CA | $158,855 | 742,340 | 40.0% | $1,559,600 |
| 4 | Fairfax County, VA | $153,637 | 1,147,837 | 36.3% | $732,800 |
| 5 | Howard County, MD | $149,763 | 336,328 | 34.8% | $597,900 |
| 6 | Douglas County, CO | $149,594 | 377,150 | 33.2% | $713,600 |
| 7 | Marin County, CA | $149,091 | 257,969 | 38.9% | $1,507,300 |
| 8 | Los Alamos County, NM | $147,139 | 19,435 | 29.9% | $495,800 |
| 9 | Nassau County, NY | $146,202 | 1,389,591 | 34.3% | $684,700 |
| 10 | Forsyth County, GA | $143,784 | 267,287 | 31.4% | $550,400 |
| 11 | Falls Church, VA | $143,262 | 14,710 | 38.0% | $1,055,600 |
| 12 | Arlington County, VA | $142,114 | 236,254 | 32.6% | $895,000 |
| 13 | Hunterdon County, NJ | $141,715 | 130,160 | 32.4% | $517,200 |
| 14 | San Francisco County, CA | $140,970 | 830,235 | 36.4% | $1,394,500 |
| 15 | Somerset County, NJ | $140,374 | 349,846 | 33.8% | $552,100 |
| 16 | Nantucket County, MA | $139,688 | 14,483 | 37.1% | $1,593,800 |
| 17 | Summit County, UT | $138,114 | 42,970 | 32.9% | $1,067,700 |
| 18 | Stafford County, VA | $137,807 | 163,466 | 28.7% | $485,100 |
| 19 | Morris County, NJ | $137,326 | 514,528 | 32.3% | $582,500 |
| 20 | Williamson County, TN | $135,594 | 260,351 | 30.9% | $751,900 |
| 21 | Calvert County, MD | $133,922 | 94,313 | 26.4% | $460,200 |
| 22 | Delaware County, OH | $133,540 | 226,834 | 28.6% | $445,500 |
| 23 | Elbert County, CO | $132,685 | 27,874 | 25.9% | $709,800 |
| 24 | Montgomery County, MD | $132,450 | 1,065,949 | 31.1% | $640,300 |
| 25 | Fairfax, VA | $132,348 | 25,026 | 32.1% | $722,600 |
| 26 | Prince William County, VA | $131,402 | 488,880 | 27.7% | $530,100 |
| 27 | Morgan County, UT | $130,929 | 12,802 | 20.5% | $654,900 |
| 28 | Middlesex County, MA | $130,847 | 1,638,365 | 31.1% | $727,800 |
| 29 | Norfolk County, MA | $130,739 | 730,082 | 31.6% | $683,900 |
| 30 | Suffolk County, NY | $130,686 | 1,530,146 | 27.7% | $578,400 |
| 31 | Fauquier County, VA | $130,189 | 74,577 | 26.2% | $573,700 |
| 32 | Alameda County, CA | $129,367 | 1,649,473 | 32.1% | $1,090,100 |
| 33 | Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT | $128,188 | 627,071 | 32.4% | $652,900 |
| 34 | Rockwall County, TX | $127,981 | 123,617 | 23.6% | $415,500 |
| 35 | Contra Costa County, CA | $127,229 | 1,165,012 | 29.4% | $866,800 |
| 36 | Chester County, PA | $127,208 | 547,840 | 28.2% | $485,600 |
| 37 | Putnam County, NY | $126,257 | 98,107 | 25.6% | $471,300 |
| 38 | Carver County, MN | $125,946 | 110,041 | 26.0% | $453,600 |
| 39 | Dukes County, MA | $125,786 | 20,933 | 24.3% | $1,165,800 |
| 40 | Anne Arundel County, MD | $124,911 | 598,166 | 25.0% | $467,900 |
| 41 | Bergen County, NJ | $124,884 | 962,316 | 29.0% | $623,000 |
| 42 | Monmouth County, NJ | $124,845 | 645,353 | 28.9% | $606,100 |
| 43 | King County, WA | $124,746 | 2,287,171 | 29.8% | $859,900 |
| 44 | Teton County, WY | $124,172 | 23,396 | 30.5% | $1,633,900 |
| 45 | Broomfield County, CO | $123,874 | 76,304 | 25.9% | $664,500 |
| 46 | New Kent County, VA | $123,314 | 25,105 | 17.4% | $393,600 |
| 47 | Charles County, MD | $122,816 | 170,527 | 23.1% | $428,500 |
| 48 | Oldham County, KY | $122,497 | 69,257 | 24.3% | $393,100 |
| 49 | Frederick County, MD | $122,002 | 287,048 | 24.6% | $464,600 |
| 50 | Collin County, TX | $121,600 | 1,163,337 | 25.5% | $475,600 |
| 51 | Hamilton County, IN | $121,530 | 365,056 | 25.0% | $405,500 |
| 52 | Oconee County, GA | $121,217 | 43,551 | 25.6% | $461,600 |
| 53 | Poquoson, VA | $120,972 | 12,639 | 17.9% | $400,300 |
| 54 | Alexandria, VA | $119,681 | 156,976 | 25.3% | $735,100 |
| 55 | St. Mary's County, MD | $119,446 | 115,126 | 23.5% | $407,600 |
| 56 | Scott County, MN | $119,314 | 154,557 | 24.3% | $419,400 |
| 57 | Westchester County, NY | $118,976 | 999,677 | 30.3% | $663,200 |
| 58 | Goochland County, VA | $118,931 | 26,410 | 25.5% | $500,600 |
| 59 | Rockingham County, NH | $118,331 | 319,082 | 23.0% | $497,500 |
| 60 | Carroll County, MD | $118,211 | 175,321 | 23.1% | $434,000 |
| 61 | Wasatch County, UT | $117,608 | 36,642 | 23.8% | $787,300 |
| 62 | Clarke County, VA | $117,111 | 15,216 | 19.7% | $550,100 |
| 63 | King George County, VA | $116,884 | 27,896 | 18.4% | $428,300 |
| 64 | Orange County, CA | $116,289 | 3,165,820 | 25.4% | $962,600 |
| 65 | Sussex County, NJ | $116,186 | 145,807 | 20.8% | $369,400 |
| 66 | Placer County, CA | $115,998 | 419,156 | 24.4% | $688,100 |
| 67 | Washington County, MN | $115,345 | 276,238 | 21.8% | $422,000 |
| 68 | Kendall County, TX | $114,962 | 48,567 | 24.2% | $512,700 |
| 69 | Bucks County, PA | $114,764 | 647,461 | 23.2% | $445,700 |
| 70 | Bristol County, RI | $114,490 | 50,490 | 24.0% | $513,800 |
| 71 | San Benito County, CA | $114,394 | 67,290 | 21.8% | $793,400 |
| 72 | Plymouth County, MA | $114,201 | 535,075 | 23.3% | $556,000 |
| 73 | Fort Bend County, TX | $114,041 | 893,767 | 22.0% | $374,500 |
| 74 | Montgomery County, PA | $113,915 | 867,573 | 24.3% | $436,700 |
| 75 | Manassas, VA | $113,590 | 42,976 | 20.5% | $449,900 |
| 76 | Queen Anne's County, MD | $112,826 | 51,825 | 22.3% | $462,700 |
| 77 | Hanover County, VA | $112,805 | 112,879 | 19.3% | $400,400 |
| 78 | Spotsylvania County, VA | $112,738 | 146,603 | 18.1% | $404,900 |
| 79 | Union County, OH | $112,322 | 67,324 | 17.3% | $344,900 |
| 80 | Harford County, MD | $112,265 | 263,757 | 19.6% | $386,400 |
| 81 | DuPage County, IL | $112,096 | 930,024 | 22.3% | $391,400 |
| 82 | Fayette County, GA | $111,978 | 122,244 | 20.9% | $436,400 |
| 83 | Kendall County, IL | $111,601 | 137,675 | 16.4% | $322,400 |
| 84 | Middlesex County, NJ | $111,549 | 871,290 | 22.3% | $462,900 |
| 85 | Denton County, TX | $111,498 | 979,561 | 22.2% | $437,200 |
| 86 | Napa County, CA | $111,471 | 134,869 | 24.2% | $869,500 |
| 87 | Williamson County, TX | $111,340 | 672,688 | 20.0% | $447,000 |
| 88 | Boone County, IN | $111,250 | 74,718 | 23.1% | $376,200 |
| 89 | Snohomish County, WA | $111,246 | 844,430 | 21.8% | $696,000 |
| 90 | Santa Cruz County, CA | $111,093 | 264,926 | 25.0% | $1,027,500 |
| 91 | Davis County, UT | $110,884 | 370,924 | 16.7% | $505,500 |
| 92 | Jefferson County, CO | $110,656 | 579,377 | 20.8% | $637,600 |
| 93 | Powhatan County, VA | $110,537 | 31,555 | 18.3% | $416,000 |
| 94 | Lake County, IL | $110,416 | 714,223 | 24.1% | $345,700 |
| 95 | Warren County, OH | $110,132 | 250,008 | 20.5% | $349,400 |
| 96 | James City County, VA | $109,985 | 81,013 | 18.4% | $447,200 |
| 97 | Will County, IL | $109,984 | 701,462 | 18.3% | $319,600 |
| 98 | Rockland County, NY | $109,959 | 341,883 | 25.0% | $596,900 |
| 99 | York County, VA | $109,956 | 71,005 | 19.3% | $433,200 |
| 100 | District of Columbia, DC | $109,870 | 681,294 | 26.8% | $737,100 |
Limited to counties and county equivalents with at least 10,000 residents. Independent cities (such as those in Virginia) are county equivalents and appear when they qualify.
The ACS top-codes median household income at $250,001 and median home value at $2,000,001; a value at that cap means "at least this much."
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates.
About This Ranking
All figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, the Bureau's most reliable dataset for state and local statistics. Because estimates pool five years of survey responses, they describe a recent period rather than a single moment, and small differences between closely ranked entries may fall within the survey's margin of error. Learn more about the data on our methodology page or at data.census.gov.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the richest county in America?
Loudoun County in Virginia has the highest median household income of any US county at $181,765, followed by Santa Clara County, California at $164,281.
Why are so many of the richest counties near Washington, DC?
The capital region combines high federal salaries, government contractors, and one of the country's most educated workforces, spread across suburban counties with little of the concentrated poverty that pulls down central-county medians elsewhere.
How does the richest county compare to the richest cities?
County medians average whole suburban regions together, so they run lower than the most affluent individual cities. Loudoun County's $181,765 median would not crack the top of the richest-cities list, where small, uniformly wealthy suburbs exceed it.