Income

These Are the Richest Counties in Pennsylvania

Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

No economy has generated as much wealth for as many people as that of the United States. According to the 2023 Global Wealth Report from the Swiss investment bank UBS, most adults worldwide have less than $10,000 in total wealth. Meanwhile, the typical American adult is worth nearly $108,000. The same report found that the U.S. is home to 38% of the world’s millionaires, many times more than any other country — and incomes in the U.S. are currently rising at a historic pace.

The latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey shows that the typical American household earned nearly $75,000 in 2022, up from about $69,700 in 2021. The 7.2% increase was the largest recorded year-over-year since at least the mid-1990s.

In Pennsylvania, a state home to 23 Fortune 500 companies, the typical household earns $73,170 annually. And in some parts of the state, household incomes exceed that amount by tens of thousands of dollars.

Using five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey, 24/7 Wall St. identified the 16 richest counties in Pennsylvania. Counties in the state are ranked on median household income. Supplemental data on population, unemployment, and median home values are also five-year estimates from the 2022 ACS.

Among the counties on this list, median household incomes are anywhere from about $1,200 to $45,400 above what the typical Pennsylvania household earns. In many of these counties, high incomes are underpinned by a strong job market. According to the ACS, the five-year average jobless rate in all but five of Pennsylvania’s richest counties is below the 5.4% statewide average.

Home values are often a reflection of what residents can afford, and high incomes in these counties are often evidenced by the local real estate markets. In most counties on this list, the typical home is worth more than the $226,200 median home value across the state.

These are the richest counties in Pennsylvania.

16. Washington County

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Median household income: $74,403
  • Median home value: $205,600
  • 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 5.0%
  • Population: 209,631

15. Berks County

DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
  • Median household income: $74,617
  • Median home value: $225,700
  • 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 5.4%
  • Population: 428,483

14. Lehigh County

DenisTangneyJr / E+ via Getty Images
  • Median household income: $74,973
  • Median home value: $254,500
  • 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 5.8%
  • Population: 374,110

13. Perry County

TD Dolci / iStock via Getty Images
  • Median household income: $76,103
  • Median home value: $210,600
  • 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 3.4%
  • Population: 45,941

12. Pike County

GummyBone / iStock via Getty Images
  • Median household income: $76,416
  • Median home value: $225,100
  • 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 8.5%
  • Population: 58,996

11. Adams County

  • Median household income: $78,975
  • Median home value: $242,800
  • 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 3.4%
  • Population: 104,604

10. York County

ChrisBoswell / iStock via Getty Images
  • Median household income: $79,183
  • Median home value: $220,700
  • 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 4.6%
  • Population: 457,051

9. Monroe County

Alex Potemkin / E+ via Getty Images
  • Median household income: $80,656
  • Median home value: $221,100
  • 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 6.3%
  • Population: 168,128

8. Lancaster County

DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
  • Median household income: $81,458
  • Median home value: $263,600
  • 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 3.4%
  • Population: 553,202

7. Northampton County

AppalachianViews / iStock via Getty Images
  • Median household income: $82,201
  • Median home value: $265,600
  • 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 4.6%
  • Population: 314,299

6. Cumberland County

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Median household income: $82,849
  • Median home value: $246,200
  • 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 3.7%
  • Population: 261,269

5. Butler County

Sabrina Gordon / iStock via Getty Images
  • Median household income: $82,932
  • Median home value: $258,500
  • 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 4.6%
  • Population: 194,562

4. Delaware County

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Median household income: $86,390
  • Median home value: $289,700
  • 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 6.8%
  • Population: 575,312

3. Montgomery County

aimintang / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
  • Median household income: $107,441
  • Median home value: $382,300
  • 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 4.5%
  • Population: 856,399

2. Bucks County

  • Median household income: $107,826
  • Median home value: $395,800
  • 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 4.6%
  • Population: 645,163

1. Chester County

DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
  • Median household income: $118,574
  • Median home value: $435,000
  • 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 4.0%
  • Population: 536,474
Rank County Median household income ($) Median home value ($) Unemployment rate (%)
1 Chester, Pennsylvania 118,574 435,000 4.0
2 Bucks, Pennsylvania 107,826 395,800 4.6
3 Montgomery, Pennsylvania 107,441 382,300 4.5
4 Delaware, Pennsylvania 86,390 289,700 6.8
5 Butler, Pennsylvania 82,932 258,500 4.6
6 Cumberland, Pennsylvania 82,849 246,200 3.7
7 Northampton, Pennsylvania 82,201 265,600 4.6
8 Lancaster, Pennsylvania 81,458 263,600 3.4
9 Monroe, Pennsylvania 80,656 221,100 6.3
10 York, Pennsylvania 79,183 220,700 4.6
11 Adams, Pennsylvania 78,975 242,800 3.4
12 Pike, Pennsylvania 76,416 225,100 8.5
13 Perry, Pennsylvania 76,103 210,600 3.4
14 Lehigh, Pennsylvania 74,973 254,500 5.8
15 Berks, Pennsylvania 74,617 225,700 5.4
16 Washington, Pennsylvania 74,403 205,600 5.0

Want to Retire Early? Start Here (Sponsor)

Want retirement to come a few years earlier than you’d planned? Or are you ready to retire now, but want an extra set of eyes on your finances?

Now you can speak with up to 3 financial experts in your area for FREE. By simply clicking here you can begin to match with financial professionals who can help you build your plan to retire early. And the best part? The first conversation with them is free.

Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you make financial decisions.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.