This Is the Wealthiest City in Your State
Have you wondered where the wealthiest cities in the country are? New York City and San Francisco might come to mind, but big businesses and high rents don’t necessarily translate to wealth for a city’s residents. In fact, what separates some of the wealthiest cities from their less wealthy counterparts might surprise you.
In this study, GOBankingRates defined the “wealthiest” cities as those with high typical home values and high median household incomes. To find the wealthiest city in each state, we used data from Zillow to locate the cities with the highest home values. Then, we examined the household median income by city using data from Sperling’s Best Places. Whichever city had the highest household income was deemed the wealthiest city in that state.
Keep Reading: From Alabama to Wyoming: The Cost of Living Across America
Wealthiest City in Alabama: Hoover
Typical home value: $321,693
Median household income: $89,452
Hoover is a suburb of Birmingham, but it is hardly a sleepy bedroom community. With a population of 85,175, it is the sixth-largest city in Alabama and home to major employers such as Regions Bank, BlueCross and BlueShield of Alabama, AT&T, McLeod Software and CGI.
Fun fact: Singer Taylor Hicks, a former “American Idol” winner, grew up in Hoover.
Wealthiest City in Alaska: Juneau
Typical home value: $431,221
Median household income: $88,390
Residents of Alaska’s capital city boast about the local scenery, abundant wildlife and endless outdoor activities. Its main industries are government, fishing, mining and tourism.
Fun fact: Of Juneau’s 3,255 square miles, only 14 square miles are urban.
Tax Breaks: 7 States With No Income Tax
Wealthiest City in Arizona: Gilbert
Typical home value: $377,242
Median household income: $96,857
Gilbert got its start as an agricultural town and until the late 1920s, it was best known as the “Hay Shipping Capital of the World.” By 1970, it had a population of just 1,971. Now, the fast-growing suburb of Phoenix has more than 243,000 residents.
Fun fact: Because Gilbert never changed its designation from “town” to “city,” it is the largest town in terms of population in the U.S.
Planning To Move? These Are the 50 Best Cities for Renters
Wealthiest City in Arkansas: Rogers
Typical home value: $217,379
Median household income: $61,551
Rogers got its start as a stop on the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad and became a major shipping outlet for apples. It later became a hub of poultry growing and processing, and Tyson Foods is a major employer.
Fun fact: Sam Walton opened his first Walmart store in Rogers on July 2, 1962.
Learn More: Best Places To Live On a $50,000 Salary in Every State
Wealthiest City in California: Cupertino
Typical home value: $2,200,686
Median household income: $171,917
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Cupertino is California’s richest city. After all, it’s the home of Apple Inc., which got its start in the city in 1977 as Silicon Valley Apple Computer Inc. Numerous other high-tech firms followed Apple into Cupertino. In August 2020, the maker of the MacBook, iPhone and other products reached $2 trillion in value.
Fun fact: The name of the city was inspired by Pedro Font, a Franciscan priest who traveled through the area in 1776.
Retiring? Worst Places To Spend Your Golden Years and Where To Retire Instead
Wealthiest City in Colorado: Highlands Ranch
Typical home value: $545,640
Median household income: $125,454
Highland Ranch’s history dates to 1859, when potato farmers occupied the land. Fast forward to 1977, when the Mission Viejo Co., and later Shea Homes, developed a master-planned community. Today, about 105,000 people live in Highlands Ranch.
Fun Fact: NFL All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey attended Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch.
See: States Where the Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Poorer
Wealthiest City in Connecticut: West Hartford
Typical home value: $308,367
Median household income: $104,281
Known to the locals as We-Ha, West Hartford mixes classic New England charm with a vibrant shopping and entertainment district. It has 39 historic sites, including the spot where American soldiers camped during the Revolutionary War and the home of Noah Webster, the father of the dictionary.
Fun fact: American School for the Deaf opened in West Hartford in 1817.
Wealthiest City in Delaware: Newark
Typical home value: $256,029
Median household income: $58,434
Newark began in the 1700s as a farming and manufacturing community, owed to its rich soil and ore from Iron Hill. It received a charter from King George II in 1758.[16] Seven years later, NewArk College was founded and eventually became the University of Delaware.
Fun fact: Newark is in New Castle County, and that shouldn’t be hard to remember. Delaware has only three counties.
Wealthiest City in Florida: Weston
Typical home value: $499,037
Median household income: $107,908
Weston is a master-planned community of 70,614 residents, and several publications have named it one of the top places to live in the U.S. The South Florida city is just east of the Florida Everglades and a short drive west of the Atlantic Ocean.
Fun fact: Weston is a haven for athletes, with Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino and retired baseball slugger Jose Canseco among the sports stars who have lived there.
Wealthiest City in Georgia: Johns Creek
Typical home value: $451,317
Median household income: $122,514
Johns Creek was established less than 15 years ago upon incorporation on Dec. 1, 2006. Despite its status as a teenager, Johns Creek already is the 10th-largest city in Georgia with 83,999 residents.
Fun fact: The city got its name from Johns Creek, a Chattahoochee River tributary.
Related: 50 Splurges of the Filthy Rich
Wealthiest City in Hawaii: East Honolulu
Typical home value: Unavailable
Median household income: $133,165
East Honolulu is part of the Hawaii’s capital city but also is recognized independently as a census-designated place. It is popular among retirees, with more than 25% of its population age 65 or older.
Fun fact: Residents appear to be health-conscious. According to Livability.com, 98% of the population has health insurance, 16% have jogged in the past year and 36.5% have eaten organic food in the past six months.
Wealthiest City in Idaho: Meridian
Typical home value: $374,989
Median household income: $71,389
Meridian, incorporated in 1903, celebrates its roots as a dairy center each June during Meridian Dairy Days. Today, it’s the second-largest city in the state with 101,905 residents, and its population tripled between 1990 and 2000.
Fun fact: Wilbert Gore, the developer of Gore-Tex, was born in Meridian.
Wealthiest City in Illinois: Naperville
Typical home value: $419,809
Median household income: $125,926
Naperville got its start in 1831 as a mill town, but the Chicago suburb now is home to high-tech industries and corporate headquarters. BP and Nokia are among the companies with a major presence in the city.
Fun fact: The Naperville Public Library has been named the No. 1 library in the nation in its size category at least 10 times.
Wealthiest City in Indiana: Carmel
Typical home value: $394,408
Median household income: $112,765
Carmel, located about 25 miles from Indianapolis, has developed a reputation as one of the coolest suburbs in the U.S. The Carmel Arts & Design District draws locals and visitors to its art galleries, restaurants, antique stores and specialty retail shops.
Fun fact: If it’s a drink you want, you can follow either the Carmel Caffeine Trail or the Brews & Barrels Trail.
Wealthiest City in Iowa: Ankeny
Typical home value: $265,524
Median household income: $86,486
Residents of Ankeny, a suburb of Des Moines, know they have their own little slice of heaven. In the 2018 National Citizen Survey, 97% rated the quality of life in Ankeny as excellent or good. They gave it high marks for its neighborhoods, safety, as a place to raise children and its overall appearance.
Fun fact: Crop harvesting and crop care equipment is manufactured at the John Deere Des Moines Works in Ankeny.
See: Why Living in a Small Town Is the Best Financial Decision I’ve Made
Wealthiest City in Kansas: Olathe
Typical home value: $283,736
Median household income: $90,435
Olathe, which is the Shawnee Indian word for “beautiful,” was incorporated in 1857 and is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. Although Olathe is a growing city of 137,618, it celebrates its rural past at the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm, the only working stagecoach stop that remains on the Santa Fe Trail.
Fun Fact: Willie Aames, a child star from the 1970s, spent some of his post-Hollywood years in Olathe.
Wealthiest City in Kentucky: Lexington
Typical home value: $209,851
Median household income: $57,291
The largest city on the list, Lexington has a population at 320,601. Since 95% of the world’s Bourbon supply is aged in Kentucky, it’s appropriate that downtown Lexington has two distilleries.
Fun fact: Queen Elizabeth II of England has visited Lexington at least twice to take a tour of the facilities of one Kentucky’s other leading industries, thoroughbred racing.
Wealthiest City in Louisiana: Metairie
Typical home value: $289,048
Median household income: $59,346
Metairie is steeped in history. A suburb of New Orleans, Metairie was a French settlement in 1700s, then was controlled by Spain until it reverted to the French in 1801. Two years later, it was part of the Louisiana Purchase area sold by Napoleon to the United States.
Fun fact: The New Orleans Saints’ headquarters are in Metairie.
Wealthiest City in Maine: South Portland
Typical home value: $343,127
Median household income: $69,290
Maine is famed for its oceanfront vistas and lighthouses, and none is better known in South Portland than the Portland Breakwater Light, called Bug Light Park Lighthouse. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since June 19, 1973.
Fun fact: Fort Preble, in South Portland, was the site of the only known Civil War battle fought in Maine: the Battle of Portland Harbor.
Wealthiest City in Maryland: Bethesda
Typical home value: $1,059,229
Median household income: $164,162
A Washington, D.C., suburb, Bethesda has become a hub for dining, arts and entertainment.
Fun fact: The Bethesda Metro Station has the second-longest escalator in the Western Hemisphere.
Read More: 11 of the Richest Athletes of All Time
Wealthiest City in Massachusetts: Newton
Typical home value: $1,285,501
Median household income: $151,068
Seven miles west of downtown Boston, Newton offers a respite from city life with 19.6% of its land being open space. It has 13 villages, each with its own flair and flavor.
Fun fact: Boston College is located in the Chestnut Hill section of Newton.
Wealthiest City in Michigan: Troy
Typical home value: $341,975
Median household income: $101,882
Residents of Troy, a northern suburb of Detroit, enjoy shopping at the Somerset Collection, an upscale mall with 180 stores and restaurants. It is anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Macy’s.
Fun fact: Troy actor Steven Yeun had a prominent role on “The Walking Dead.”
Wealthiest City in Minnesota: Eden Prairie
Typical home value: $395,452
Median household income: $111,981
Eden Prairie is about 18 miles southwest of Minneapolis. In the city’s most recent Quality of Life survey, 95% of the city’s residents rated the quality of life well above average.
Fun fact: One stretch of U.S. 212 that runs through Eden Prairie is the third-busiest in the state with 107,000 average daily trips, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
Wealthiest City in Mississippi: Southaven
Typical home value: $180,281
Median household income: $61,026
The Bank Plus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove in Southaven hosts big-name musical acts. Barring any postponements due to COVID-19, the Dave Matthews Band is scheduled to play there Sept. 22.
Fun fact: Southaven is installing automated meter readers to improve the accuracy of water bills.
Wealthiest City in Missouri: O’Fallon
Typical home value: $262,459
Median household income: $90,025
O’Fallon’s first resident settled in 1856, and 100 years later, the city had a population of 1,357. Now, 65 years later, the St. Louis suburb has 87,242 residents.
Fun fact: O’Fallon was still so rural in the early 1970s that it wasn’t uncommon for police to be called to deal with stray cattle in the streets.
Wealthiest City in Montana: Helena
Typical home value: $298,088
Median household income: $61,324
Helena, Montana’s capital city, experienced a boom after the 1864 gold strike. Now, it’s better known for its entertainment, dining, cultural and recreation options, which includes a vast bike trail system.
Fun fact: Helena was the birthplace of Hollywood royalty Gary Cooper and Myrna Loy.
Wealthiest City in Nebraska: Bellevue
Typical home value: $202,811
Median household income: $65,308
With its ideal location along the Missouri River, Bellevue became an outpost for fur trading in the 1820s. A half-century later, when the fur trade vanished, so did Bellevue. The war years of the 1940s and the growth of Offutt Air Force Base put the city back on the map, and 53,324 people now live there.
Fun fact: Bellevue’s population spurted by 47.5 percent during the 1990s.
Wealthiest City in Nevada: Enterprise
Typical home value: Unavailable
Median household income: $81,461
Unincorporated Enterprise is a suburb of Las Vegas and has grown at a meteoric pace over the past 30 years. According to the U.S. Census Bureau. Enterprise had 827 residents in 1990 and 1,000 in 2000. By 2010, the number was 108,481 and it is 171,108 today.
Fun fact: Entertainers and athletes have found their way to Enterprise. Boxer Floyd Mayweather and NBA star DeMarcus Cousins are among the buyers of luxury homes in the area.
Wealthiest City in New Hampshire: Nashua
Typical home value: $341,944
Median household income: $74,995
Nashua, about an hour northwest of Boston, was chartered in 1673, and a century later, some area residents fought in the Revolutionary War. By the early 1800s, Nashua became a manufacturing center that lasted for a century. After World War II, new industries spawned in Nashua, rebuilding for the city.
Fun fact: Singer/actress Mandy Moore of NBC’s “This Is Us” was born in Nashua.
Wealthiest City in New Jersey: Hoboken
Typical home value: $811,632
Median household income: $147,620
Hoboken packs 53,193 residents into just 1.28 square miles of area, and that small space has seen a lot in its history. Frank Sinatra is the city’s most famous son, born there in 1915. Thomas Edison ran the first electric train from the station in Hoboken to Montclair, New Jersey.
Fun fact: The 1954 movie “On the Waterfront” starring Marlon Brando was filmed almost entirely in Hoboken.
Wealthiest City in New Mexico: Rio Rancho
Typical home value: $215,966
Median household income: $66,856
Part of the Albuquerque metro area, Rio Rancho is the third-largest city in New Mexico and the state’s fastest-growing community with 96,210 residents.
Fun fact: Rio Rancho is a mile-high city with an elevation of 5,290 feet.
Wealthiest City in New York: Levittown
Typical home value: $468,967
Median household income: $124,995
Levittown, on Long Island, was developed in 1947 by William Levitt of Levitt & Sons and is recognized as the first true American suburb. His goal was to provide affordable housing for troops returning from World War II. Initial home prices were just under $8,000.
Fun fact: The first homes in Levittown were built without basements because with a quick turnaround needed, there wasn’t time to dig that far down.
Wealthiest City in North Carolina: Apex
Typical home value: $380,828
Median household income: $111,435
Apex was a tiny town until high-tech firms began moving into Research Triangle Park in the nearby suburbs of Raleigh. Buoyed by the development, Apex had grown to 5,000 residents by 1990 and to 37,476 in the 2010 census. Today, the community has 51,370 people.
Fun fact: Apex’s preserved downtown is on National Register of Historic Places to mark its history as a railroad town.
Wealthiest City in North Dakota: Bismarck
Typical home value: $297,913
Median household income: $64,444
Formerly known as Edwinton, the city was renamed in 1873 in hopes that Prince Baron Otto Eduard Leopold Von Bismarck-Schoenhausen, the first chancellor of the German Empire, would encourage German investment in the struggling railroad in the area. He sent his thanks for the gesture — but no money.
Fun fact: The state Capitol in Bismarck is the tallest building in the state at 242 feet.
Wealthiest City in Ohio: Kettering
Typical home value: $160,841
Median household income: $58,970
The earliest settler founded what now is Kettering in 1798, but the community wasn’t incorporated until 1952. It was named for philanthropist Charles F. Kettering, who invented the automobile self-starter.
Fun fact: Unlike other rapidly growing cities on this list, the Dayton suburb has lost residents, dropping from just shy of 70,000 in 1970 to 55,390 today.
Wealthiest City in Oklahoma: Edmond
Typical home value: $245,331
Median household income: $81,473
Edmond, located north of Oklahoma City, is noted for many firsts in the Oklahoma territory, according to the Oklahoma Historical Society. The first church, the first public schoolhouse and the first continuous newspaper all launched in 1889.
Fun fact: Gymnast Shannon Miller, winner of seven Olympic medals, was raised in Edmond.
Wealthiest City in Oregon: Hillsboro
Typical home value: $412,383
Median household income: $82,275
Hillsboro is part of the Silicon Forest, the name given to Greater Portland region, where high-tech companies have gathered. In 2020, Intel debuted its newest processor, which was designed at its research and development site in Hillsboro.
Fun fact: Hillsboro has the designation as both a Tree City USA and Bee City USA.
Wealthiest City in Pennsylvania: Levittown
Typical home value: $269,431
Median household income: $81,107
The second Levittown on this list, Levittown, Pennsylvania, was built by the same developers of the New York community of the same name, who sought to build affordable housing for military members and the working class. The Levitt company built about 17,300 homes between 1952 and 1958 at this location in Bucks County.
Fun fact: Levittown sprouted on 5,750 contiguous acres of farmland where broccoli and spinach previously were grown.
Wealthiest City in Rhode Island: Warwick
Typical home value: $259,368
Median household income: $73,757
Warwick has 39 miles of coastline that for years drew the elite to the shores. Pre-Great Depression and before the New England hurricane of 1938, Warwick was the summer home of more millionaires than any other place in the U.S., according to the Warwick Digital History Project.
Fun fact: Settled in 1642 as Pawtuxet Village, Warwick is the oldest village in New England.
Wealthiest City in South Carolina: Mount Pleasant
Typical home value: $492,664
Median household income: $103,232
There’s plenty to do in Mount Pleasant, which is across the bay from historic Charleston. Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum has three historic military ships and 28 aircraft to see.
Fun fact: With nearly 87,000 residents, Mount Pleasant is South Carolina’s fourth-largest city.
Learn More: The Cost of Living Is Quickly Rising in These 20 US Cities
Wealthiest City in South Dakota: Sioux Falls
Typical home value: $229,817
Median household income: $59,912
Actress January Jones graduated from Roosevelt High School in Sioux Falls before her starring turn on “Mad Men.” She even worked at the Dairy Queen in the city.
Fun fact: Who knew Sioux Falls had a taste of Japan? The proof is at Shoto-Teien Japanese Gardens.
Wealthiest City in Tennessee: Collierville
Typical home value: $365,490
Median household income: $113,996
In 1850, Collierville was a thriving settlement. By 1863, it was in ruins after a Civil War battle, and after it was rebuilt, an outbreak of yellow fever decimated Collierville again. Resilient, the Memphis suburb now has just more than 50,000 residents.
Fun fact: Parade magazine named Collierville the winner of America’s Best Main Street in 2014.
Wealthiest City in Texas: Flower Mound
Typical home value: $407,241
Median household income: $137,285
Always looking to improve quality of life, the city has launched “All Together Flower Mound,” an early 2021 project seeking to bring together residents, business owners and local leaders to collaborate to make the community better.
Fun fact: The city got its name due to the number of wildflowers growing on a local hill.
Wealthiest City in Utah: South Jordan
Typical home value: $498,296
Median household income: $104,597
South Jordan was a small farming community when it incorporated in 1935. In 1970, the population was just short of 3,000. Today, it’s a thriving Salt Lake City suburb of 71,198.
Fun fact: The city is known to locals as SoJo.
Wealthiest City in Vermont: Burlington
Typical home value: $370,538
Median household income: $51,394
There’s plenty to do in Burlington, a thriving college town. The Church Street Marketplace features dining, shopping and entertainment options, and it’s a short distance to the Burlington Waterfront Park.
Fun fact: Ben & Jerry’s was founded in Burlington in 1978 with its first store in a renovated gas station.
Wealthiest City in Virginia: Reston
Typical home value: $557,152
Median household income: $120,396
Robert E. Simon had the right idea when he developed Reston (named for his officials RES) in the early 1960s. He wanted a place where people could live, work and play in close proximity and cut down on long commutes. Today, 61,147 people live in Reston.
Fun fact: Two elementary schools in Reston were named for astronauts: Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong.
Wealthiest City in Washington: Sammamish
Typical home value: $1,012,680
Median household income: $174,003
Sammamish, to the east of Seattle, incorporated in 1999 and now has nearly 65,000 residents. Many major employers are located on the Eastside, including Microsoft and Nintendo.
Fun fact: There are no freeways running through the city limits.
Don’t Miss: How to Retire With at Least $1,000,000
Wealthiest City in West Virginia: Wheeling
Typical home value: $102,372
Median household income: $44,119
Wheeling’s economy thrived at the end of the 18th century with the growth of iron and steel mills, and the city earned the nickname of the “Nail Capital of the World.” By the end of the century, it was the richest per capita in the U.S.
Fun fact: Wheeling was the first capital of West Virginia.
Up Next: What a Million-Dollar Home Looks Like in the U.S.
Wealthiest City in Wisconsin: Madison
Typical home value: $300,868
Median household income: $65,332
Madison was incorporated in 1856 and named after President James Madison. In keeping with the theme, Madison named many city streets in honor of signers of the Constitution.
Fun fact: In Madison, the home of the University of Wisconsin, more than half of the population is under age 30.
Wealthiest City in Wyoming: Gillette
Typical home value: $280,313
Median household income: $79,789
Gillette is billed as the “Energy Capital of the Nation,” and Campbell County produces more than 30% of the nation’s coal.
Fun fact: The city was named after engineer and surveyor Edward Gillette.
More From GOBankingRates
Morgan Quinn contributed to the reporting for this article.
Last updated: Feb. 8, 2021
Methodology: To identify the wealthiest city in every state, GOBankingRates looked at all cities in the U.S. with 50,000 or more residents according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Using the same source, GOBankingRates found the city in every state with the highest median household income. As supplemental data, GOBankingRates also provided the 2020 typical home value for a single family residence in each city by averaging Zillow’s monthly Home Value Index values in every city from January through November 2020. The population minimum was relaxed to 25,000 for the following states that had fewer than three qualifying cities under the initial minimum: Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming. All data was gathered on and up to date as of Jan. 11, 2021.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: This Is the Wealthiest City in Your State
