The 50 Richest Counties in America (2026)

Q: What is the richest county in the United States?

Loudoun County, Virginia is the richest county in the United States by median household income, at $181,765 a year. Santa Clara County, California ($164,281) and San Mateo County, California ($158,855) come next. Figures are from the Census Bureau's 2020–2024 American Community Survey and cover counties with 50,000 or more residents.

Where the Money Is

Loudoun County, Virginia sits on top, with a typical household bringing in $181,765 a year. The list is not spread evenly across the map: California (8), Maryland (8), Virginia (7) hold 23 of the 50 spots between them. Federal contracting around Washington, tech around San Francisco Bay and finance around New York do most of the work.

A Big Paycheck Buys Very Different Houses

Income is only half the story. In Marin County, California, the typical home is worth $1,507,300, about 10.1 times the typical household income. In Sussex County, New Jersey, it is $369,400, or 3.2 times income. 5 of the 50 counties have a median home value above $1 million.

Rich Is Not the Same as Booming

Most of these counties score low on the Boom Town Index: 27 of the 50 come in under 30 out of 100. The index rewards momentum and value, and places that are already expensive have less room to run. The exception at the top is Putnam County, New York, which scores 95.

#	County	BTI Score	Median Household Income	Home Value	Bachelor's+	Income Growth (5-yr avg)	Population
01	Loudoun County VA	10	$181,765	$743,800	65%	+5.0%	432,998
02	Santa Clara County CA	2	$164,281	$1,490,600	56%	+5.8%	1,902,047
03	San Mateo County CA	11	$158,855	$1,559,600	54%	+5.3%	742,340
04	Fairfax County VA	4	$153,637	$732,800	65%	+4.2%	1,147,837
05	Howard County MD	30	$149,763	$597,900	64%	+4.3%	336,328
06	Douglas County CO	5	$149,594	$713,600	62%	+4.5%	377,150
07	Marin County CA	95	$149,091	$1,507,300	61%	+5.3%	257,969
08	Nassau County NY	70	$146,202	$684,700	50%	+4.7%	1,389,591
09	Forsyth County GA	12	$143,784	$550,400	57%	+6.0%	267,287
10	Arlington County VA	4	$142,114	$895,000	77%	+3.4%	236,254
11	Hunterdon County NJ	7	$141,715	$517,200	57%	+4.2%	130,160
12	San Francisco County CA	11	$140,970	$1,394,500	60%	+4.6%	830,235
13	Somerset County NJ	19	$140,374	$552,100	58%	+4.3%	349,846
14	Stafford County VA	8	$137,807	$485,100	44%	+4.4%	163,466
15	Morris County NJ	46	$137,326	$582,500	58%	+3.5%	514,528
16	Williamson County TN	60	$135,594	$751,900	63%	+3.7%	260,351
17	Calvert County MD	37	$133,922	$460,200	37%	+4.1%	94,313
18	Delaware County OH	23	$133,540	$445,500	59%	+4.5%	226,834
19	Montgomery County MD	14	$132,450	$640,300	61%	+4.0%	1,065,949
20	Prince William County VA	28	$131,402	$530,100	45%	+4.2%	488,880
21	Middlesex County MA	24	$130,847	$727,800	60%	+5.0%	1,638,365
22	Norfolk County MA	29	$130,739	$683,900	59%	+4.8%	730,082
23	Suffolk County NY	85	$130,686	$578,400	40%	+5.3%	1,530,146
24	Fauquier County VA	70	$130,189	$573,700	42%	+5.2%	74,577
25	Alameda County CA	47	$129,367	$1,090,100	52%	+5.4%	1,649,473
26	Western Connecticut Planning Region CT	—	$128,188	$652,900	56%	—	627,071
27	Rockwall County TX	14	$127,981	$415,500	44%	+4.9%	123,617
28	Contra Costa County CA	54	$127,229	$866,800	45%	+5.0%	1,165,012
29	Chester County PA	63	$127,208	$485,600	57%	+4.9%	547,840
30	Putnam County NY	95	$126,257	$471,300	46%	+3.9%	98,107
31	Carver County MN	12	$125,946	$453,600	50%	+4.4%	110,041
32	Anne Arundel County MD	34	$124,911	$467,900	46%	+4.4%	598,166
33	Bergen County NJ	65	$124,884	$623,000	53%	+4.3%	962,316
34	Monmouth County NJ	79	$124,845	$606,100	51%	+4.6%	645,353
35	King County WA	9	$124,746	$859,900	57%	+5.6%	2,287,171
36	Broomfield County CO	0	$123,874	$664,500	60%	+5.1%	76,304
37	Charles County MD	20	$122,816	$428,500	34%	+4.2%	170,527
38	Oldham County KY	19	$122,497	$393,100	46%	+4.3%	69,257
39	Frederick County MD	7	$122,002	$464,600	46%	+4.5%	287,048
40	Collin County TX	2	$121,600	$475,600	56%	+4.6%	1,163,337
41	Hamilton County IN	58	$121,530	$405,500	62%	+4.4%	365,056
42	Alexandria city VA	0	$119,681	$735,100	66%	+3.5%	156,976
43	St. Mary's County MD	12	$119,446	$407,600	36%	+5.9%	115,126
44	Scott County MN	20	$119,314	$419,400	44%	+3.1%	154,557
45	Westchester County NY	86	$118,976	$663,200	53%	+4.2%	999,677
46	Rockingham County NH	32	$118,331	$497,500	46%	+4.8%	319,082
47	Carroll County MD	39	$118,211	$434,000	41%	+4.1%	175,321
48	Orange County CA	43	$116,289	$962,600	44%	+5.2%	3,165,820
49	Sussex County NJ	64	$116,186	$369,400	40%	+4.2%	145,807
50	Placer County CA	79	$115,998	$688,100	43%	+5.3%	419,156

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the richest county in the United States?

Loudoun County, Virginia is the richest county in the United States by median household income, at $181,765 a year. Santa Clara County, California ($164,281) and San Mateo County, California ($158,855) come next. Figures are from the Census Bureau's 2020–2024 American Community Survey and cover counties with 50,000 or more residents.

Which states have the most wealthy counties?

Of the 50 most affluent counties, the most are in California (8), Maryland (8), Virginia (7). The 50 counties are spread across 18 states.

How is the richest-counties ranking calculated?

Counties are ranked by median household income, the income of the household in the exact middle of the county, from Census Bureau American Community Survey table B19013 (2020–2024, five-year estimates). Median income describes a typical household, so a county with a few billionaires and many modest earners does not rank high. Counties and independent cities with fewer than 50,000 residents, such as Falls Church, Virginia, are not ranked because their survey margins of error are wide.

Are the richest counties the best places to buy a home?

Not usually. The Boom Town Index scores a county on momentum and value, and 27 of the 50 richest counties score below 30 out of 100. The highest-scoring county on this list is Putnam County, New York at 95.

Richest Counties in America