The U.S. Census Bureau recently released its latest American Community Survey, offering an updated snapshot of demographic and economic conditions in the United States. According to new ACS estimates, the typical American household earned an average of $69,021 over the five years ending in 2021.

This latest figure represents a 6% increase over the five-year period ending in 2020. But while the 2021 ACS reveals a pay raise for most American households, it also highlights the significant income inequality across the United States, as there are parts of the country where incomes are far higher than average.

Highland Park, Illinois, is one place where the median household income is more than double the national figure. The typical household in the area earns $153,226 a year, the 50th highest among all cities with sufficient data and 122.0% more than the national median.

Incomes in the United States, for individuals and across broad populations, tend to rise with higher levels of educational attainment. In Highland Park, an estimated 76.4% of adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher, well above the 33.7% share of adults nationwide with similar education levels.

All data in this story are five-year estimates from the 2021 ACS. For the purposes of this story, cities are defined as incorporated legal entities or census-designated statistical areas with populations of more than 25,000 people and can include communities that are coterminous with college or university campuses. Cities were excluded if the number of households for which income was determined was less than 1,000 in the 2021 ACS or if the sampling error associated with a place’s data was deemed too high.

 

Rank	City	Median household income ($)	Adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (%)	Median home value ($)	Population
1	Los Altos, California	250,000+	85.9	2,000,000+	31,562
2	University Park, Texas	247,045	88.5	1,380,600	25,029
3	McLean, Virginia	242,610	84.7	1,102,100	49,310
4	Southlake, Texas	239,833	73.0	723,800	30,754
5	Wellesley, Massachusetts	226,250	84.9	1,251,800	29,365
6	Saratoga, California	224,179	80.6	2,000,000+	31,194
7	San Carlos, California	204,570	67.7	1,904,400	30,754
8	Lexington, Massachusetts	202,852	85.0	980,100	34,235
9	Cupertino, California	199,778	80.9	2,000,000+	60,681
10	Potomac, Maryland	198,870	83.8	937,000	46,891
11	Sammamish, Washington	195,648	76.0	939,600	66,532
12	Palo Alto, California	194,782	82.7	2,000,000+	68,624
13	Ridgewood, New Jersey	194,256	78.3	789,900	25,991
14	Lafayette, California	192,546	74.2	1,606,400	25,384
15	Westfield, New Jersey	185,319	76.4	810,400	30,950
16	Needham, Massachusetts	182,813	81.0	939,800	31,808
17	Danville, California	181,453	70.4	1,252,400	43,673
18	Colleyville, Texas	180,698	68.8	586,400	25,827
19	Menlo Park, California	179,913	72.6	2,000,000+	33,677
20	Bethesda, Maryland	178,370	87.9	958,400	66,294
21	Belmont, California	178,125	69.2	1,682,000	28,109
22	Parkland, Florida	174,295	66.7	655,300	33,772
23	Wilmette, Illinois	173,967	83.8	710,400	27,895
24	Foster City, California	173,721	70.2	1,482,500	33,511
25	San Ramon, California	173,519	70.3	1,063,200	85,688
26	Dublin, California	171,168	67.6	983,000	69,818
27	South Riding, Virginia	170,456	68.2	571,300	33,828
28	Mercer Island, Washington	170,000	77.5	1,504,500	25,506
29	Ladera Ranch, California	169,706	65.8	863,400	25,526
30	Manhattan Beach, California	169,586	77.9	2,000,000+	35,585
31	Plainview, New York	168,140	69.0	632,300	26,665
32	Pleasanton, California	167,932	66.3	1,116,800	79,558
33	Los Gatos, California	166,642	73.4	1,893,200	33,309
34	Brentwood, Tennessee	165,948	75.6	711,900	44,354
35	Princeton, New Jersey	165,149	85.3	893,600	30,717
36	Newton, Massachusetts	164,607	80.2	992,800	88,647
37	Mill Creek East, Washington	161,684	60.4	637,300	25,528
38	Sunnyvale, California	161,670	66.8	1,528,500	155,550
39	Olney, Maryland	161,065	66.0	551,300	35,815
40	Hoboken, New Jersey	160,890	80.3	777,600	59,369
41	Leawood, Kansas	159,540	74.7	498,900	33,748
42	Prosper, Texas	159,164	63.7	524,700	28,825
43	Rancho Palos Verdes, California	158,996	68.4	1,247,600	42,316
44	Mountain View, California	158,104	72.1	1,613,300	82,409
45	North Tustin, California	157,487	57.7	973,800	25,708
46	Burke, Virginia	157,336	64.2	573,900	44,191
47	Milton, Massachusetts	153,971	65.0	710,700	28,382
48	Commack, New York	153,858	56.4	560,800	36,252
49	Fremont, California	153,475	60.1	1,069,700	231,502
50	Highland Park, Illinois	153,226	76.4	523,500	30,245

 

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