The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defines the federal poverty level in the continental United States today at $12,880 for individuals, $26,500 for families of four. (The thresholds are slightly higher for Alaska and Hawaii.)
No government agency undertakes to define wealth, however. What’s the best measure of affluence? Annual income? Net worth? Lifetime earning potential? Merriam-Webster defines it as an “abundance of valuable material possessions or resources,” and that seems as good a definition as any (as long as you leave out other kinds of wealth, like the richness of good health, good relationships, or breadth of experience) You may be astonished, though, at the extent of the abundance enjoyed by the richest person of all time from your state.
In determining the richest places in the South, 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.
The wealthiest states in the region, by these measures, are Texas and Maryland, with eight and nine of the entries on this list, respectively. Kentucky and Florida are home to two of the richest places each, while Oklahoma, Louisiana, Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina appear with one apiece. Note, though, that the top 12 places share first place in terms of median household income.
Click here to see the richest places in the South.
Source: W.marsh / Wikimedia Commons
25. Mockingbird Valley, Kentucky
> Median household income in 2019: $227,750 — #82 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: 90.4% — #236 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 159
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Source: Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images
24. Lake Aluma, Oklahoma
> Median household income in 2019: $228,750 — #81 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 79.6% — #243 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 71.1% — #1,510 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 61
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23. Golf Village, Florida
> Median household income in 2019: $231,875 — #75 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 77.0% — #331 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 72.7% — #1,398 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 251
Source: Renelibrary / Wikimedia Commons
22. Gloster, Louisiana
> Median household income in 2019: $235,461 — #70 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 63.1% — #1,116 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 17.1% — #10,573 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 321
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21. Great Falls, Virginia
> Median household income in 2019: $238,125 — #64 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 80.7% — #214 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 89.8% — #262 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 14,872
Source: Courtesy of chevychaseview.org
20. Chevy Chase View, Maryland
> Median household income in 2019: $238,333 — #63 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 89.1% — #77 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 93.5% — #146 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 1,017
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Source: Famartin / Wikimedia Commons
19. Brookmont, Maryland
> Median household income in 2019: $239,943 — #60 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 90.7% — #67 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 79.6% — #889 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 3,921
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Source: Chriswardster / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
18. Southlake, Texas
> Median household income in 2019: $240,248 — #59 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 69.7% — #686 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 88.3% — #332 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 31,292
Source: Matthew Van Dyke / iStock via Getty Images
17. Travilah, Maryland
> Median household income in 2019: $241,369 — #57 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 82.2% — #186 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 89.3% — #289 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 11,301
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16. Westover Hills, Texas
> Median household income in 2019: $245,833 — #53 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 86.4% — #105 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 80.9% — #803 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 553
Source: Famartin / Wikimedia Commons
15. Chevy Chase Section Three, Maryland
> Median household income in 2019: $246,667 — #50 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 90.7% — #67 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 91.0% — #213 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 732
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Source: WhisperToMe / Wikimedia Commons
14. Bunker Hill, Texas
> Median household income in 2019: $247,188 — #49 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 76.6% — #350 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 93.2% — #152 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 3,940
Source: WhisperToMe / Wikimedia Commons
13. Southside Place, Texas
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 86.6% — #103 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 65.5% — #2,005 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 1,652
Source: WhisperToMe / Wikimedia Commons
12. Piney Point, Texas
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 84.1% — #146 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 91.2% — #203 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 3,425
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Source: Famartin / Wikimedia Commons
11. Chevy Chase Section Five, Maryland
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 92.8% — #54 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 87.9% — #359 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 638
10. Somerset, Maryland
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 94.1% — #49 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 89.5% — #277 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 1,090
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9. Belle Meade, Tennessee
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 84.9% — #129 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 84.2% — #571 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 2,280
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Source: By WhisperToMe - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47769331
8. West University Place, Texas
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 86.9% — #100 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 85.6% — #488 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 15,603
Source: Coast-to-Coast / iStock via Getty Images
7. Chevy Chase, Maryland
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 93.2% — #51 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 89.3% — #294 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 2,973
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Source: benedek / Getty Images
6. Glenview, Kentucky
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 82.5% — #178 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 90.5% — #233 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 569
Source: Famartin / Wikimedia Commons
5. Martin’s Additions, Maryland
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 87.5% — #92 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 89.3% — #290 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 1,043
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Source: Famartin / Wikimedia Commons
4. Chevy Chase Village, Maryland
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 92.8% — #54 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 87.9% — #356 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 1,937
Source: Tomfullen / Wikimedia Commons
3. Hunters Creek, Texas
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 87.2% — #96 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 92.9% — #160 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 4,825
Source: Art Wager / Getty Images
2. Lazy Lake, Florida
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 39.3% — #4,310 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 25.0% — #8,062 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 28
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Source: Pgiam / iStock via Getty Images
1. Grandfather, North Carolina
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 91.5% — #61 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 6.3% — #17,322 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 68
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