The Richest Town in Every State: Some Might Surprise You
Your hometown carries a lot of weight. Just naming the city, town, or suburb where you grew up immediately tells others something about you. Maybe it's a suburban community renowned for the good school district and club soccer teams; perhaps it's a bustling urban neighborhood filled with trendy bars and restaurants. Either way, the character of your hometown helps new acquaintances gain an initial understanding of who you are.
This principle is especially true for the 50 places on this list. Each town holds the distinction of being the richest location in its state. Stacker used the most recent U.S. Census Bureau Five-Year American Community Survey data, last updated in December 2020, to pull crucial information about each town, including the unemployment rate and median household income. The locations are ranked by the median household income, and ties are broken by the percentage of people annually earning more than $200,000. Any towns with a population smaller than 1,000 people were omitted. Additionally, the U.S. Census Bureau's statistics do not show specific median incomes or earnings after $250,000, so those numbers are just designated as $250,000+. Places the Census Bureau designated as Census Designated Place (CDP) were also excluded for every state except Hawaii.
Of course, the year 2020 proved to be wildly out of the ordinary in many ways--and earning money and fueling the economy were among the challenges. You might be wondering if the coronavirus had an impact on these high-earning communities. The truth is, while the pandemic ravaged communities across the nation and the world, these richest towns were largely spared. That's because the industries hardest hit by the coronavirus were airlines, leisure facilities, oil and gas, auto parts, and restaurants, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. The majority of these towns are fueled by the health care industry, education, finance, manufacturing, and real estate.