Richest Big Cities in America
April 2022
Arlington's Rosslyn Neighborhood (credit: Ejsamps)
 |
The cities with the highest median household income are mostly found along the coasts, with Arlington, VA leading the pack. This Census-designated place or CDP is
located on the opposite side of the Potomac from Washington, DC and is home to the Pentagon, Washington National Airport and a host of major
corporate headquarters including the future home of Amazon's HQ2. Arlington is not only the richest big city in the U.S. but is the most
educated on the list, with over 75% having attained at least a Bachelor's degree.
San Francisco (credit: Noah Friedlander)
 |
Arlington is closely followed by Silicon Valley hubs, San Francisco and San Jose, which have benefited from a surge of new,
high-paid tech employees moving in. In fact, it is estimated that more billionaires
now live here than anywhere else outside New York City--such as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg who lives in the San Francisco's
Dolores Heights neighborhood.
| |
City |
Median Household Income |
Poverty Rate |
Population |
Bachelor's Degree |
| 1. |
Arlington, VA |
$122,604 |
6.4% |
238,643 |
75.8% |
| 2. |
San Francisco, CA |
$119,136 |
10.1% |
873,965 |
58.8% |
| 3. |
San Jose, CA |
$117,324 |
8.3% |
1,013,240 |
44.8% |
| 4. |
Irvine, CA |
$108,318 |
12.6% |
307,670 |
69.5% |
| 5. |
Seattle, WA |
$97,185 |
10.2% |
737,015 |
65% |
| 6. |
Plano, TX |
$96,348 |
6.3% |
285,494 |
57.6% |
| 7. |
Washington, DC |
$90,842 |
15.5% |
689,545 |
59.8% |
| 8. |
San Diego, CA |
$83,454 |
11.8% |
1,386,932 |
46.7% |
| 9. |
Oakland, CA |
$80,143 |
14.6% |
440,646 |
46.1% |
| 10. |
Jersey City, NJ |
$76,444 |
15.7% |
292,449 |
49.8% |
| |
National Average |
$64,994 |
11.4% |
331,893,745 |
|
Statistics represent the latest (2020) US Census Bureau results. Big cities are defined as incorporated cities and Census-designated places (CDPs) with populations
of 200,000 or more.
