You’re considered poor in most of America if you have an annual income of $12,880 for individuals or $26,500 for a family of four, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (the numbers are slightly higher for Alaska and Hawaii).
But how much do you have to make to be considered rich? That depends.
To be considered in the top 20% of earners in America, you’d need an annual income of about $95,000 — in some states. In others, to reach that level, you’ll need more than $170,000. Those numbers pale to insignificance compared to the incomes of a relative few individuals. Here is the richest person of all time from your state.
In determining the richest places in the Northeast, 24/7 Wall St. has ranked the median household income in the approximately 20,000 places with 500 or more residents using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey.
We also reviewed the percentage of homes valued above $200,000 and — adding in education level, which is closely tied to earning potential — the number of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree. All data are 5-year averages through 2019. We only considered places where less than 25% of the population are enrolled in college or graduate school, as the presence of a large student population can skew income statistics.
By those measures, there’s no doubt that the wealthiest state in the Northeast, by far, is New York, whose localities account for 18 of the region’s 25 wealthiest places. Second-place New Jersey is home to four of the richest places, while Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire have one each. The top 14, however, share a first-place tie in terms of median household income, which for places with such high incomes is expressed as greater than $250,000.
Click here to see the richest places in the Northeast.
Source: Antony-22 / Wikimedia Commons
25. Roslyn Harbor, New York
> Median household income in 2019: $225,000 — #89 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 78.0% — #292 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 84.2% — #572 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 898
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Source: Kirkikis / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
24. Oyster Bay Cove, New York
> Median household income in 2019: $225,385 — #87 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 73.2% — #505 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 85.5% — #498 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 2,080
Source: Image by Alfred Hutter Wikimedia Commons
23. Princeton Junction, New Jersey
> Median household income in 2019: $231,094 — #76 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 85.3% — #121 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 75.4% — #1,201 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 2,336
Source: Ken Gallager at English Wikipedia / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
22. Blodgett Landing, New Hampshire
> Median household income in 2019: $231,912 — #74 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 69.6% — #691 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 14.6% — #11,542 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 105
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Source: Kirkikis / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
21. Darien, Connecticut
> Median household income in 2019: $232,523 — #73 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 82.9% — #169 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 79.9% — #866 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 21,742
Source: Daniel Case / Wikimedia Commons
20. Greenville, New York
> Median household income in 2019: $237,436 — #68 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 79.5% — #247 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 89.5% — #282 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 7,814
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Source: Jim.henderson / Wikimedia Commons
19. Plandome Heights, New York
> Median household income in 2019: $237,500 — #67 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 84.5% — #133 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 91.1% — #208 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 967
Source: Mr. Matté / Wikimedia Commons
18. Harlingen, New Jersey
> Median household income in 2019: $238,000 — #65 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 87.1% — #97 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 100.0% — #1 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 416
Source: timengleman / Flickr
17. Sewickley Heights, Pennsylvania
> Median household income in 2019: $240,417 — #58 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 74.6% — #436 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 64.8% — #2,066 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 741
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Source: Tashka / Getty Images
16. Mountain Lakes, New Jersey
> Median household income in 2019: $241,667 — #56 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 85.8% — #116 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 89.2% — #295 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 4,270
Source: Jkingny / Wikimedia Commons
15. Mill Neck, New York
> Median household income in 2019: $243,250 — #55 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 78.7% — #272 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 78.2% — #977 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 1,073
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Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/russnelson/
14. Laurel Hollow, New York
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 75.4% — #403 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 86.2% — #453 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 2,034
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Source: LINYperson615 / Wikimedia Commons
13. Munsey Park, New York
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 88.9% — #78 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 91.3% — #200 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 2,722
Source: huntingtonny.gov
12. Asharoken, New York
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 68.3% — #777 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 54.3% — #3,206 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 440
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Source: Daniel Case / Wikimedia Commons
11. Short Hills, New Jersey
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 87.8% — #88 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 86.6% — #424 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 13,428
Source: Wikiamsaro / Wikimedia Commons
10. Lloyd Harbor, New York
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 75.1% — #418 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 76.7% — #1,094 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 3,677
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Source: United States Census Bureau / Public Domain
9. Woodsburgh, New York
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 83.5% — #156 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 88.5% — #323 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 808
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8. Brookville, New York
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 77.2% — #322 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 87.7% — #373 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 3,586
Source: Jim.henderson / Wikimedia Commons
7. Plandome, New York
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 84.5% — #133 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 94.5% — #124 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 1,228
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Source: United States Census Bureau / Public Domain
6. Hewlett Harbor, New York
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 77.8% — #305 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 86.7% — #413 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 999
Source: LINYperson615 / Wikimedia Commons
5. Roslyn Estates, New York
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 81.3% — #205 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 88.2% — #339 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 1,257
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Source: Alex Potemkin / iStock via Getty Images
4. Scarsdale, New York
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 89.2% — #76 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 83.7% — #609 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 17,837
Source: Alex Potemkin / E+ via Getty Images
3. Sands Point, New York
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 83.1% — #165 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 83.2% — #640 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 2,862
Source: United States Census Bureau / Public domain
2. Hewlett Bay Park, New York
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 73.4% — #488 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 84.7% — #542 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 350
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Source: ladymodernist / iStock via Getty Images
1. Chappaqua, New York
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 83.6% — #153 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 76.6% — #1,100 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 1,434
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