[cnxvideo id=”510063″ placement=”ros”]Urban centers often have at their perimeters small towns with well-educated, wealthy residents. States without such large metropolitan areas tend to lag behind in income and education and as a result, tend to have less rich towns.
24/7 Wall St. reviewed household income levels in U.S. towns with populations under 25,000 people to determine the wealthiest town in each state. The richest town in the United States is Scarsdale, New York where the median annual household income is $241,453 — more than four times the median income nationwide, and 13 times the median income for households in Macon, Mississippi, the poorest town in America.
Incomes in even the nation’s richest towns vary considerably. Because wealthy areas tend to be concentrated around large urban centers, states with large cities tend to have many small wealthy towns. Meanwhile, states lacking these dense urban clusters not only tend to have fewer wealthy areas, but also the wealthy towns are comparatively less wealthy.
Click here to see the richest towns in every state.
In New York there are 35 towns where the median household income is more than double the national median income of $53,482. All 35 of those New York towns are within 75 miles of Manhattan. By contrast, the median household income in Maine’s richest town is less than the national median income. Maine’s largest city has a population of less than 67,000 residents — a fraction of the 1.6 million residents in New York City’s Manhattan borough alone.
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One of the surest ways to increase income is to complete a college education. Towns with a high percentage of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree tend to have higher employment levels, and the jobs tend to be higher paying — driving up median household incomes. In 46 of the 50 towns reviewed, the percentage of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree is higher than the statewide percentage. In Short Hills, New Jersey, 88.7% of adults have at least a bachelor’s degree, the highest such attainment rate of any U.S. town.
To identify the richest town in each state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed median household incomes in every town with a population of 25,000 or less in each state from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). Due to relatively small sample sizes for town-level data, all social and economic figures are based on five-year estimates for the period of 2010-2014. Still, data can be subject to sampling errors. We did not consider towns where the margin of error at 90% confidence is greater than 10% of the point estimate of both median household income and population. Towns were compared to both state and national figures. We considered the percentage of residents who have at least a bachelor’s degree, the towns’ poverty rates, and the workforce composition — all from the ACS. Because poverty rates can be skewed in areas with high shares of college students who frequently have very low incomes, college towns were also excluded. College towns are defined as towns where more than 40% of the population is enrolled in undergraduate or graduate school.
These are the richest towns in every state.
1. Mountain Brook, Alabama
> Town median household income: $130,259
> State median household income: $42,830 (4th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 2.6% (17th lowest)
> Town population: 20,484 (10th highest)
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2. Valdez, Alaska
> Town median household income: $99,973
> State median household income: $71,583 (3rd highest)
> Town poverty rate: 9.2% (2nd highest)
> Town population: 4,002 (10th lowest)
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3. Tanque Verde, Arizona
> Town median household income: $95,019
> State median household income: $50,068 (21st lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 6.2% (5th highest)
> Town population: 16,411 (20th highest)
4. Maumelle, Arkansas
> Town median household income: $79,182
> State median household income: $41,262 (3rd lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 5.5% (9th highest)
> Town population: 17,565 (17th highest)
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5. Rolling Hills, California
> Town median household income: $218,583
> State median household income: $61,933 (9th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 2.1% (11th lowest)
> Town population: 1,689 (2nd lowest)
6. Genesee, Colorado
> Town median household income: $138,945
> State median household income: $61,303 (12th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 1.8% (7th lowest)
> Town population: 3,745 (8th lowest)
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7. Darien, Connecticut
> Town median household income: $199,444
> State median household income: $70,048 (4th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 6.9% (4th highest)
> Town population: 21,190 (7th highest)
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8. North Star, Delaware
> Town median household income: $149,205
> State median household income: $59,716 (14th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 1.2% (3rd lowest)
> Town population: 7,655 (15th lowest)
9. Keystone, Florida
> Town median household income: $113,971
> State median household income: $47,463 (12th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 2.7% (19th lowest)
> Town population: 22,678 (4th highest)
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10. Skidaway Island, Georgia
> Town median household income: $108,886
> State median household income: $49,321 (17th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 2.6% (17th lowest)
> Town population: 7,798 (16th lowest)
11. Maunawili, Hawaii
> Town median household income: $130,114
> State median household income: $69,592 (5th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 1.6% (5th lowest)
> Town population: 2,114 (3rd lowest)
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12. Eagle, Idaho
> Town median household income: $82,264
> State median household income: $47,861 (14th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 5.8% (7th highest)
> Town population: 21,102 (8th highest)
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13. Winnetka, Illinois
> Town median household income: $207,540
> State median household income: $57,444 (17th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 2.0% (8th lowest)
> Town population: 12,366 (25th highest)
14. Zionsville, Indiana
> Town median household income: $103,951
> State median household income: $49,446 (18th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 2.3% (14th lowest)
> Town population: 24,559 (2nd highest)
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15. Johnston, Iowa
> Town median household income: $94,821
> State median household income: $53,712 (21st highest)
> Town poverty rate: 5.8% (7th highest)
> Town population: 18,874 (13th highest)
16. Basehor, Kansas
> Town median household income: $87,381
> State median household income: $52,504 (25th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 3.0% (24th lowest)
> Town population: 4,831 (12th lowest)
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17. Francisville, Kentucky
> Town median household income: $105,552
> State median household income: $42,958 (5th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 3.7% (21st highest)
> Town population: 9,217 (21st lowest)
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18. Shenandoah, Louisiana
> Town median household income: $91,949
> State median household income: $44,555 (7th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 3.1% (25th lowest)
> Town population: 19,266 (12th highest)
19. Saco, Maine
> Town median household income: $52,611
> State median household income: $49,462 (19th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 11.6% (the highest)
> Town population: 18,757 (14th highest)
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20. Travilah, Maryland
> Town median household income: $208,421
> State median household income: $73,971 (the highest)
> Town poverty rate: 4.8% (11th highest)
> Town population: 11,989 (25th lowest)
21. Winchester, Massachusetts
> Town median household income: $141,829
> State median household income: $69,160 (6th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 3.0% (24th lowest)
> Town population: 21,863 (5th highest)
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22. Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan
> Town median household income: $113,969
> State median household income: $49,847 (20th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 3.2% (25th highest)
> Town population: 9,371 (22nd lowest)
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23. Shorewood, Minnesota
> Town median household income: $113,719
> State median household income: $61,481 (10th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 4.4% (14th highest)
> Town population: 7,438 (13th lowest)
24. Madison, Mississippi
> Town median household income: $99,109
> State median household income: $39,680 (the lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 4.2% (19th highest)
> Town population: 24,871 (the highest)
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25. Des Peres, Missouri
> Town median household income: $116,173
> State median household income: $48,363 (15th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 2.7% (19th lowest)
> Town population: 8,443 (20th lowest)
26. Helena Valley Northwest, Montana
> Town median household income: $75,833
> State median household income: $46,328 (10th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 3.0% (24th lowest)
> Town population: 3,939 (9th lowest)
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27. Waverly, Nebraska
> Town median household income: $82,818
> State median household income: $52,686 (24th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 1.5% (4th lowest)
> Town population: 3,528 (7th lowest)
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28. Spanish Springs, Nevada
> Town median household income: $78,842
> State median household income: $51,450 (24th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 4.2% (19th highest)
> Town population: 15,322 (22nd highest)
29. Londonderry, New Hampshire
> Town median household income: $90,252
> State median household income: $66,532 (7th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 4.3% (17th highest)
> Town population: 10,637 (23rd lowest)
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30. Short Hills, New Jersey
> Town median household income: $235,216
> State median household income: $71,919 (2nd highest)
> Town poverty rate: 2.5% (15th lowest)
> Town population: 12,729 (24th highest)
31. Los Alamos, New Mexico
> Town median household income: $107,031
> State median household income: $44,803 (8th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 5.2% (10th highest)
> Town population: 11,843 (24th lowest)
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32. Scarsdale, New York
> Town median household income: $241,453
> State median household income: $58,878 (16th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 2.1% (11th lowest)
> Town population: 17,471 (18th highest)
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33. Morrisville, North Carolina
> Town median household income: $84,301
> State median household income: $46,556 (11th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 4.8% (11th highest)
> Town population: 20,728 (9th highest)
34. Williston, North Dakota
> Town median household income: $83,750
> State median household income: $59,029 (15th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 8.6% (3rd highest)
> Town population: 19,849 (11th highest)
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35. Dry Run, Ohio
> Town median household income: $127,899
> State median household income: $49,308 (16th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 0.5% (the lowest)
> Town population: 7,446 (14th lowest)
36. Jenks, Oklahoma
> Town median household income: $84,758
> State median household income: $47,529 (13th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 4.3% (17th highest)
> Town population: 18,312 (16th highest)
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37. Bethany, Oregon
> Town median household income: $111,023
> State median household income: $51,075 (23rd lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 2.9% (20th lowest)
> Town population: 21,658 (6th highest)
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38. Edgeworth, Pennsylvania
> Town median household income: $151,250
> State median household income: $53,234 (22nd highest)
> Town poverty rate: 2.1% (11th lowest)
> Town population: 1,650 (the lowest)
39. Cumberland Hill, Rhode Island
> Town median household income: $75,996
> State median household income: $54,891 (19th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 4.7% (13th highest)
> Town population: 8,194 (17th lowest)
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40. Tega Cay, South Carolina
> Town median household income: $114,294
> State median household income: $45,238 (9th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 1.8% (7th lowest)
> Town population: 8,224 (18th lowest)
41. Tea, South Dakota
> Town median household income: $74,556
> State median household income: $50,979 (22nd lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 4.4% (14th highest)
> Town population: 4,226 (11th lowest)
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42. Belle Meade, Tennessee
> Town median household income: $202,061
> State median household income: $44,361 (6th lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 3.0% (24th lowest)
> Town population: 2,930 (5th lowest)
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43. West University Place, Texas
> Town median household income: $207,429
> State median household income: $53,035 (23rd highest)
> Town poverty rate: 2.2% (13th lowest)
> Town population: 15,223 (23rd highest)
44. Highland, Utah
> Town median household income: $107,121
> State median household income: $60,922 (13th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 4.4% (14th highest)
> Town population: 16,491 (19th highest)
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45. South Burlington, Vermont
> Town median household income: $67,396
> State median household income: $54,166 (20th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 6.0% (6th highest)
> Town population: 18,378 (15th highest)
46. Great Falls, Virginia
> Town median household income: $229,200
> State median household income: $64,902 (8th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 1.2% (3rd lowest)
> Town population: 16,207 (21st highest)
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47. Cottage Lake, Washington
> Town median household income: $134,802
> State median household income: $61,366 (11th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 3.3% (24th highest)
> Town population: 23,318 (3rd highest)
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48. Bridgeport, West Virginia
> Town median household income: $80,240
> State median household income: $41,059 (2nd lowest)
> Town poverty rate: 3.4% (23rd highest)
> Town population: 8,316 (19th lowest)
49. Merton, Wisconsin
> Town median household income: $129,667
> State median household income: $52,622 (25th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 2.2% (13th lowest)
> Town population: 3,463 (6th lowest)
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50. Bar Nunn, Wyoming
> Town median household income: $72,214
> State median household income: $57,055 (18th highest)
> Town poverty rate: 3.6% (22nd highest)
> Town population: 2,447 (4th lowest)
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