Special Report

This Is the Richest County in California

One of the most prosperous countries in the world, the United States has built a reputation as the land of opportunity. While this may be an oversimplification, many affluent areas across the country serve as a testament to Americans’ continued ability to build wealth and financial stability.

In every state, there are counties or county equivalents where the median annual household income is well above the $62,843 national median. In over half of all states there is at least one county where the median annual household income is greater than $85,000. Using five-year estimates from the 2019 American Community Survey from the Census, 24/7 Wall St. identified the richest county in every state.

While there are several notable exceptions, many of the wealthiest counties in each state are part of, or in close proximity to, a major metropolitan area. Large metropolitan areas are often hubs of economic activity.

With a median household income of $124,055, Santa Clara County is the wealthiest county in California and one of the wealthiest in the United States. The area covers much of the Silicon Valley region, which is home to the headquarters and operations of many of the world’s largest tech companies — many of which are also among the world’s highest paying employers. These companies include Adobe, Apple, Google, and Intel.

Higher-paying jobs are often only available to workers with higher levels of education. In Santa Clara County, over half of all adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to only about one-third of adults in both California and the U.S. as a whole.

State Poorest County Largest Place in County Median Household Income State Median Household Income Poverty Rate State Poverty Rate Adult Bachelor’s Attainment Rate State Adult Bachelor’s Attainment Rate Unemployment, Nov. 2020 State Unemployment
Alabama Shelby County Hoover $77,799 $50,536 7.5% 16.7% 42.9% 25.5% 2.5% 4.0%
Alaska Juneau City and Borough Juneau $88,390 $77,640 7.7% 10.7% 38.4% 29.6% 6.5% 8.1%
Arizona Maricopa County Phoenix $64,468 $58,945 13.8% 15.1% 32.7% 29.5% 7.2% 7.6%
Arkansas Benton County Rogers $66,362 $47,597 9.4% 17.0% 33.4% 23.0% 4.2% 5.7%
California Santa Clara County San Jose $124,055 $75,235 7.5% 13.4% 52.4% 33.9% 5.1% 7.9%
Colorado Douglas County Highlands Ranch $119,730 $72,331 3.1% 10.3% 58.0% 40.9% 4.6% 6.2%
Connecticut Fairfield County Bridgeport $95,645 $78,444 8.9% 9.9% 47.9% 39.3% 7.7% 7.7%
Delaware New Castle County Wilmington $73,892 $68,287 11.4% 11.8% 36.2% 32.0% 4.8% 4.7%
Florida St. Johns County Fruit Cove $82,252 $55,660 8.2% 14.0% 44.7% 29.9% 4.0% 6.3%
Georgia Forsyth County Cumming $107,218 $58,700 5.7% 15.1% 53.1% 31.3% 3.3% 5.4%
Hawaii Honolulu County Honolulu $85,857 $81,275 8.3% 9.4% 35.0% 33.0% 8.8% 10.1%
Idaho Teton County Victor $74,216 $55,785 4.5% 13.1% 41.0% 27.6% 5.8% 4.8%
Illinois Kendall County Oswego $96,563 $65,886 4.5% 12.5% 36.2% 34.7% 5.3% 6.5%
Indiana Hamilton County Carmel $98,173 $56,303 4.6% 13.4% 59.3% 26.5% 3.3% 4.9%
Iowa Dallas County Waukee $88,479 $60,523 5.2% 11.5% 50.4% 28.6% 2.2% 3.1%
Kansas Johnson County Overland Park $89,087 $59,597 5.4% 12.0% 56.0% 33.4% 4.8% 5.3%
Kentucky Oldham County La Grange $99,128 $50,589 5.9% 17.3% 42.4% 24.2% 3.5% 5.1%
Louisiana Ascension Parish Gonzales $80,527 $49,469 10.6% 19.2% 26.4% 24.1% 6.2% 8.1%
Maine Cumberland County Portland $73,072 $57,918 9.0% 11.8% 47.6% 31.8% 4.3% 4.7%
Maryland Howard County Columbia $121,160 $84,805 5.0% 9.2% 62.6% 40.2% 4.9% 6.6%
Massachusetts Nantucket County Nantucket $107,717 $81,215 8.7% 10.3% 52.8% 43.7% 6.6% 6.2%
Michigan Livingston County Howell $84,221 $57,144 5.2% 14.4% 35.4% 29.1% 5.9% 6.3%
Minnesota Scott County Shakopee $102,152 $71,306 5.5% 9.7% 39.9% 36.1% 3.4% 3.9%
Mississippi Madison County Madison $71,824 $45,081 9.6% 20.3% 48.4% 22.0% 4.4% 6.0%
Missouri St. Charles County St. Charles $84,978 $55,461 5.2% 13.7% 38.9% 29.2% 3.1% 3.9%
Montana Jefferson County Montana City $69,646 $54,970 7.8% 13.1% 35.0% 32.0% 3.7% 4.3%
Nebraska Sarpy County Bellevue $82,032 $61,439 5.9% 11.1% 39.8% 31.9% 2.4% 2.7%
Nevada Elko County Elko $81,232 $60,365 11.7% 13.1% 16.6% 24.7% 3.8% 9.9%
New Hampshire Rockingham County Derry $93,756 $76,768 4.6% 7.6% 41.4% 37.0% 3.6% 3.5%
New Jersey Morris County Morristown $115,527 $82,545 4.8% 10.0% 54.1% 39.7% 8.1% 9.9%
New Mexico Los Alamos County Los Alamos $121,324 $49,754 4.4% 19.1% 67.4% 27.3% 3.2% 7.3%
New York Nassau County Hempstead $116,100 $68,486 5.6% 14.1% 46.0% 36.6% 5.5% 8.1%
North Carolina Wake County Raleigh $80,591 $54,602 9.1% 14.7% 52.8% 31.3% 5.2% 6.1%
North Dakota Williams County Williston $87,161 $64,894 6.1% 10.7% 23.6% 30.0% 10.7% 4.1%
Ohio Delaware County Delaware $106,908 $56,602 4.8% 14.0% 54.3% 28.3% 3.6% 5.2%
Oklahoma Canadian County Oklahoma City $72,056 $52,919 8.2% 15.7% 27.4% 25.5% 5.1% 5.8%
Oregon Washington County Hillsboro $82,215 $62,818 8.9% 13.2% 44.4% 33.7% 4.8% 5.5%
Pennsylvania Chester County West Chester $100,214 $61,744 6.4% 12.4% 53.0% 31.4% 4.1% 6.1%
Rhode Island Washington County Westerly $85,531 $67,167 8.6% 12.4% 46.1% 34.2% 5.8% 7.0%
South Carolina Beaufort County Hilton Head Island $68,377 $53,199 10.2% 15.2% 41.2% 28.1% 3.3% 4.1%
South Dakota Lincoln County Sioux Falls $82,473 $58,275 4.1% 13.1% 37.6% 28.8% 2.6% 3.3%
Tennessee Williamson County Franklin $112,962 $53,320 4.4% 15.2% 59.8% 27.3% 3.3% 5.0%
Texas Rockwall County Rowlett $100,920 $61,874 4.7% 14.7% 40.7% 29.9% 6.0% 8.0%
Utah Summit County Park City $102,958 $71,621 5.6% 9.8% 55.0% 34.0% 5.6% 3.9%
Vermont Chittenden County Burlington $73,647 $61,973 12.1% 10.9% 51.3% 38.0% 2.5% 2.8%
Virginia Loudoun County Leesburg $142,299 $74,222 3.4% 10.6% 61.3% 38.8% 3.9% 4.6%
Washington King County Seattle $94,974 $73,775 8.9% 10.8% 52.5% 36.0% 4.3% 5.9%
West Virginia Jefferson County Corporation of Ranson $80,430 $46,711 9.7% 17.6% 31.8% 20.6% 4.0% 5.7%
Wisconsin Waukesha County Waukesha $87,277 $61,747 4.8% 11.3% 44.5% 30.1% 4.0% 4.5%
Wyoming Teton County Jackson $84,678 $64,049 6.1% 11.0% 57.0% 27.4% 5.8% 4.9%

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