# List of highest-income counties in the United States
The highest-income counties in the United States are the county-level jurisdictions that rank at the top of national income statistics, most commonly median household income from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS). In the 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates, [Loudoun County, Virginia](https://www.edgepedia.org/loudoun-county-virginia), ranks first with a median household income of $181,765, roughly double the national median of $80,734 for the same period.[1](https://statranker.org/economy/wages-and-incomes-of-the-population/richest-u-s-counties-2026-top-100-by-median-household-income/) • [2](https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/acs-5-year-gains-educational-attainment.html?stream=top)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Richest county | Loudoun County, Virginia: median household income $181,765 (2020–2024 ACS 5-year, table B19013, 2024 dollars)[1](https://statranker.org/economy/wages-and-incomes-of-the-population/richest-u-s-counties-2026-top-100-by-median-household-income/) |
| National benchmark | U.S. median household income of $80,734 for the 2020–2024 ACS 5-year period[2](https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/acs-5-year-gains-educational-attainment.html?stream=top) |
| Runners-up | Santa Clara County, CA ($164,281); San Mateo County, CA ($158,855); Fairfax County, VA ($153,637)[1](https://statranker.org/economy/wages-and-incomes-of-the-population/richest-u-s-counties-2026-top-100-by-median-household-income/) |
| Top 100 cutoff | $109,956 in York County, Virginia; the gap between first and 100th place is $71,809[1](https://statranker.org/economy/wages-and-incomes-of-the-population/richest-u-s-counties-2026-top-100-by-median-household-income/) |
| State concentration | Virginia has 20 of the top 100 counties, California 11, and Maryland 10[1](https://statranker.org/economy/wages-and-incomes-of-the-population/richest-u-s-counties-2026-top-100-by-median-household-income/) |
| Distribution | 73.6% of all counties have a median household income below the U.S. median; 12.9% are above it[2](https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/acs-5-year-gains-educational-attainment.html?stream=top) |
| Loudoun's record | Highest median household income among U.S. counties with populations of 65,000 or greater every year since 2007[3](https://www.loudoun.gov/DocumentCenter/View/189981/FY-2024-Budget-Story) |
## The leading counties
The top of the 2020–2024 ACS 5-year ranking is dominated by suburban counties around Washington, D.C. and the [San Francisco Bay Area](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-francisco-bay-area). Loudoun County, Virginia leads at $181,765, followed by [Santa Clara County](https://www.edgepedia.org/santa-clara-county), California at $164,281, [San Mateo County, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-mateo-county-california) at $158,855, and Fairfax County, Virginia at $153,637. Howard County, Maryland ($149,763), Douglas County, Colorado ($149,594), Marin County, California ($149,091), Los Alamos County, New Mexico ($147,139), Nassau County, New York ($146,202), and Forsyth County, Georgia ($143,784) complete the top ten.[1](https://statranker.org/economy/wages-and-incomes-of-the-population/richest-u-s-counties-2026-top-100-by-median-household-income/) Rankings built on the same ACS release place the entries in slightly different order depending on whether independent cities and other county equivalents are included; one ranking using the same data puts Falls Church city, Virginia, third at $161,600.[4](https://www.statsamerica.org/USCP/r_output.aspx?code_set=0&element_type=1&geo_set=18079&item_set=6066&rank_type=D&time_set=uspr_med_inc1)
**Loudoun County's lead.** Loudoun's median household income has been the highest among U.S. counties with populations of 65,000 or greater since 2007, according to the county government's budget documents.[3](https://www.loudoun.gov/DocumentCenter/View/189981/FY-2024-Budget-Story) Its Census QuickFacts profile for 2020–2024 shows a per capita income of $71,986 and a poverty rate of 4.3%, against a national poverty rate of 12.5% for the same period.[5](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/loudouncountyvirginia/BPS030224) • [2](https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/acs-5-year-gains-educational-attainment.html?stream=top) The county's annual median household income series shows steady growth: $153,716 in 2021, $167,605 in 2022, $173,655 in 2023, and $177,457 in 2024.[6](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MHIVA51107A052NCEN) Kiplinger attributes the county's wealth to the early-1960s construction of Washington Dulles International Airport, which drew businesses and later high-technology employers such as [Northrop Grumman](https://www.edgepedia.org/northrop-grumman) and Raytheon Technologies, along with data centers serving [Amazon Web Services](https://www.edgepedia.org/amazon-web-services).[7](https://www.kiplinger.com/real-estate/603232/the-real-richest-counties-in-the-us)
## How the rankings are measured
The standard measure is median household income from ACS table B19013, published in inflation-adjusted dollars. The 5-year estimates pool five years of survey responses and are available for every county regardless of population size, while 1-year estimates are published only for areas with populations of 65,000 or more.[8](https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/geography-acs/areas-published.html) Because the ACS is a sample survey, every estimate carries a published margin of error; Loudoun's $181,765 estimate, for example, carries a margin of about ±$3,438, and closely spaced counties can be statistically indistinguishable.[9](https://usastatestats.com/rankings/richest-counties/) • [10](https://www.census.gov/help/topics/faq.do-i-need-to-consider-the-margins-of-error-when-comparing-acs-estimates.html) The Census Bureau advises that comparisons across ACS releases require caution because boundaries, question wording, and population controls change over time.[11](https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/guidance/comparing-acs-data/2024.html)
For small counties, the Census Bureau recommends the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) program, a model-based series whose standard errors are usually smaller than direct survey estimates, especially for counties with populations under 65,000.[12](https://www.census.gov/topics/income-poverty/income/guidance/data-sources.html) SAIPE estimates are model-based and carry additional uncertainty beyond sampling error, including nonsampling error in the underlying ACS and errors in the administrative records used as model inputs.[13](https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/guidance/uncertainty.html) A separate measure, personal income from the [Bureau of Economic Analysis](https://www.edgepedia.org/bureau-of-economic-analysis), counts income where the recipient lives and totaled $818.5 billion in [Los Angeles County](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-county), the highest of any county, in 2024, while [Loving County, Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/loving-county-texas) had the lowest total at $10.6 million.[14](https://www.bea.gov/data/income-saving/personal-income-by-county)
## Geography of high income
High-income counties cluster around a few metropolitan economies: the Washington, D.C. suburbs in [Northern Virginia](https://www.edgepedia.org/northern-virginia) and suburban Maryland, the [Silicon Valley](https://www.edgepedia.org/silicon-valley) counties of Santa Clara and San Mateo, and the outer suburbs of New York City such as Nassau, Somerset, and Morris counties.[15](https://www.populationreview.org/ranking/richest-counties) In the top 100, Virginia accounts for 20 entries, California for 11, and Maryland for 10.[1](https://statranker.org/economy/wages-and-incomes-of-the-population/richest-u-s-counties-2026-top-100-by-median-household-income/) Measured by average household income rather than median, Virginia again leads in concentration, with nine of the 50 wealthiest counties in one 2024 compilation.[16](https://www.gobankingrates.com/money/economy/these-are-americas-wealthiest-counties/)
The concentration is narrow relative to the whole country. In the 2020–2024 ACS 5-year data, 73.6% of counties had a median household income below the U.S. median and only 12.9% above it, and between the 2015–2019 and 2020–2024 periods, 71.7% of counties (2,246) showed no statistically significant change in median household income, while 707 counties increased and 179 decreased.[2](https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/acs-5-year-gains-educational-attainment.html?stream=top)
## Income versus cost of living
The counties with the highest nominal incomes are also among the most expensive. Kiplinger, working with cost-of-living data from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) and 2023 SAIPE county income data, publishes a cost-adjusted ranking in which each county's median income is divided by its cost-of-living index. Even after adjusting for a cost of living 13% above the national average, Loudoun County remains the richest county in the United States by a wide margin, beating its closest competitor by more than $23,500 in adjusted income.[7](https://www.kiplinger.com/real-estate/603232/the-real-richest-counties-in-the-us) Other high-income counties rise sharply once costs are considered: [Forsyth County, Georgia](https://www.edgepedia.org/forsyth-county-georgia), with a cost of living only 4.8% above the national average, and Delaware County, Ohio, which moves from 22nd to 6th place after adjustment, both keep more of their residents' six-figure median incomes than coastal counties with similar pay.[7](https://www.kiplinger.com/real-estate/603232/the-real-richest-counties-in-the-us)
## References
1. [Richest U.S. Counties 2026: Top 100 by Median Income, StatRanker](https://statranker.org/economy/wages-and-incomes-of-the-population/richest-u-s-counties-2026-top-100-by-median-household-income/)
2. [Census Bureau Data Show Large Gains in Educational Attainment in Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas, U.S. Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/acs-5-year-gains-educational-attainment.html?stream=top)
3. [FY 2024 Budget Story, Loudoun County, Virginia](https://www.loudoun.gov/DocumentCenter/View/189981/FY-2024-Budget-Story)
4. [USA Counties in Profile: Median Household Income 2024, StatsAmerica](https://www.statsamerica.org/USCP/r_output.aspx?code_set=0&element_type=1&geo_set=18079&item_set=6066&rank_type=D&time_set=uspr_med_inc1)
5. [U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Loudoun County, Virginia](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/loudouncountyvirginia/BPS030224)
6. [Estimate of Median Household Income for Loudoun County, VA, FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MHIVA51107A052NCEN)
7. [The 10 'Real' Richest Counties in the US, Kiplinger](https://www.kiplinger.com/real-estate/603232/the-real-richest-counties-in-the-us)
8. [Areas Published, American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/geography-acs/areas-published.html)
9. [Richest Counties in America 2024: Median Household Income Rankings, USAStateStats](https://usastatestats.com/rankings/richest-counties/)
10. [Do I need to consider the margins of error (MOE) when comparing American Community Survey (ACS) estimates?, U.S. Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/help/topics/faq.do-i-need-to-consider-the-margins-of-error-when-comparing-acs-estimates.html)
11. [Comparing 2024 American Community Survey Data, U.S. Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/guidance/comparing-acs-data/2024.html)
12. [Which Data Source to Use for Income, U.S. Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/topics/income-poverty/income/guidance/data-sources.html)
13. [Quantifying Uncertainty in State and County Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/guidance/uncertainty.html)
14. [Personal Income by County, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis](https://www.bea.gov/data/income-saving/personal-income-by-county)
15. [Richest US Counties by Median Household Income, Population Review](https://www.populationreview.org/ranking/richest-counties)
16. [These Are America's Wealthiest Counties, GOBankingRates](https://www.gobankingrates.com/money/economy/these-are-americas-wealthiest-counties/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Physical world and mathematics › Mathematics and statistics › Statistics and probability › Applied, official, and domain statistics › Official statistics › Social, demographic, and economic data collections › Poverty, income, and social welfare statistics*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
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