America currently has the strongest economy in the world, boasting the largest share of the global economy according to the International Monetary Fund. But with a population of more than 330 million people, America is also the third largest country in the world and its wealth is far from evenly spread. Census data paints a geographical picture of varied riches: affluent towns are often home to those with college educations and lie near large metropolitan areas with high-paying jobs, while former mining, farming and manufacturing hubs, particularly in rural locations, have much higher rates of poverty. We compare life in America’s top richest and poorest towns ranked by typical household income according to the Census Bureau’s 2017 data.
In the 1800s New Mexico's Deming was expected to become a rail hub connecting the US and Mexico. This proved incorrect and despite its location along major highway routes, the town of 14,000 has a high poverty rate of 34.3%. Employment is concentrated in transportation, energy, agriculture and tourism. In 2017 house prices in Deming hovered around the $87,000 mark, while typical household income was low at $25,428.
It's a completely different story just one state east in Bellaire, Texas. This Houston suburb saw a population boom after the Second World War, and with larger lots and lower costs per square foot for houses compared to neighboring towns, it easily attracted affluent families. As of 2017 the typical house price here was nearly 10 times higher than the 15th poorest town of Deming, topping $800,000, while average household income was a much more comfortable $195,018. Several professional athletes have called Bellaire home, and actors and brothers Randy and Dennis Quaid grew up there.
Roughly an hour south of St Louis, employment in this small town of only 4,000 people has long centered around local mines. The wider Madison County is mined for a variety of metals and minerals but lead has been particularly significant. It’s part of an area of southeast Missouri known as the Old Lead Belt, wich had its heyday long ago. As mines have closed, and with environmental damage left behind, communities in the Old Lead Belt have declined. The typical cost of a house in Fredericktown was just under $85,000 in 2017, and average household income only reached $24,640.
Within an hour commute northwest of Washington DC, this town of around 6,000 offers the city's high earners homes nestled among the holes of Belmont's sprawling golf course, complete with membership to the country club. A second neighborhood, Belmont Greene, is a more densely-laid out mix of homes and townhouses. According to Redfin, the median list price of homes for sale in October in the golf course was $650,000, while Belmont Greene homes were worth around $608,000. The typical household income is strong at $195,882 a year.
One of Georgia’s two port cities on the eastern seaboard, Brunswick relies on the jobs and economic boost from its port. However, a large proportion (39%) of its residents are living in poverty, and only 15% of adults in the town have a bachelor’s degree. Comparing state-wide numbers, only 14% of the population live in poverty across Georgia and the typical household income in Georgia is $52,977, which is more than double that in Brunswick which is just $24,417.
This township benefits from its proximity to Manhattan. The New York Post dubbed Upper Montclair as “the only suburb true New Yorkers will even consider” as city slickers seek larger homes and family-friendly communities. More than 85% of residents have a bachelor's degree, and the township is home to some recognizable faces, including Stephen Colbert and make-up mogul Bobbi Brown. It’s also the hometown of public figures such as Buzz Aldrin, musician Joe Walsh and two professional soccer players, Yael Averbuch and Ingrid Wells.
While a new Facebook Data Center opened in 2012 in the town of roughly 7,000 people, less than half the population is in employment and nearly 40% live in poverty. Between 2013 and 2017 69.9% of households owned a computer and only 53% had broadband internet. In this same period only 37% owned their own homes compared to 90% in Floris, Virginia, the 12th richest town in America.
Like Belmont, this DC suburb in northern Virginia is home to many commuters to the capital, who benefit from high-paying jobs. Census data shows a population around 8,000 where at least 83% of adults have a bachelor’s degree, and the poverty rate is a very low 3%. And it's a great place to bring up a family: Floris’s schools are among the top ranking in the state, as are children’s test scores. The typical income for a household is unsurprisingly high at $198,068.
Located on the edge of Detroit, the town of 22,000 people has always had ties to the automobile industry, for better and for worse. The town first saw the benefits of cars in 1914 when the Dodge Brothers Plant opened, which attracted many Americans and immigrants looking for work. But after 70 years Dodge closed its Hamtramck assembly plant in 1980. Five years later General Motors built a factory on the former plant’s site, which is still in operation, but its future is uncertain in 2020 and more than 800 workers are set to be laid off by 24 February. More than half of the town lives in poverty, and only 12% have a bachelor’s degree. The typical household brings in $24,369 a year.
Discover the American towns that used to be rich but are now poor
This village on the north shore of Long Island is not only convenient for those who commute into New York to high-paying jobs, but it also offers a lush 50-acre village green. Here families can access playgrounds, tennis courts and a swimming pool, and there is also a restaurant and senior facilities. The poverty rate is very low at 1.4% and average house price is just under a million, at around $970,000, so it's expected that the average income for those who choose to live in East Hills is high at $199,000.
Though this town of 24,000 has long been home to Ohio University, in the early part of the 20th century it relied very heavily on coal mining and brick-making for jobs. Today the university is the largest employer, and despite the fact that the majority of the population in Athens lives below the poverty rate, unlike many of the poorest towns in American some 60% of adults have at least a bachelor’s degree. Even with high levels of higher education, the average annual income is only $24,326.
Just east of Seattle, this town of about 3,000 is considered the state’s most affluent and is home to sports stars as well as Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella. The City of Clyde Hill boasts that residents have “spectacular views” of Lake Washington, Mount Rainer, the Olympic Mountains, the Cascade Mountain range and the Seattle skyline. In fact, The Seattle Times called it a “luxurious little haven.” House prices are as steep as its towering pine trees, with an average value of $1.7 million, while typical household income is $205,500.
The ninth poorest and richest towns have identical populations of 20,700, though that is where any similarities end. Best known for its role in the Voting Rights movement in the 1960s, Selma's economy relies largely on agriculture, but it simply doesn't provide enough jobs. Only half the population reported being in work during 2013-2017, and 38% live in poverty. On average, a household in Selma takes home $24,223 a year, and less than half of the town own their own homes, even though the average home value is quite low $89,100.
Darien in Lower Fairfield County, Connecticut, is often referred to as the Gold Coast due to its affluent residents. It’s home to many of New York’s business executives and has often been used as the setting for movies and books portraying the lives of wealthy Americans, such as The Stepford Wives. Home values average $1.4 million, and the list of notable residents, whether year-round or just for the summer season, includes Charles Lindbergh, Andrew Carnegie, CEOs, Robert Downey Jr. and Robert De Niro. So it's no surprise that households earn $208,848 a year on average.
Part of Ramapo, this village is an all-Hasidic Jewish community of the Skverer movement, which aims to live separately from the secular world. Leaders purchased farmland and created the development in the 1950s. As of 2017, only 3.9% of adults have a bachelor’s degree, and the poverty rate is 64.4%, whereas the adjacent town, Ramapo has a much lower poverty rate of just 24%. Typical household income for New Square residents is low at $23,924.
Home to Southern Methodist University (SMU) this Dallas suburb is one of the most affluent in all of Texas. Residents typically earn $211,741 a year, and a property costs about $1.2 million on average, which is much higher than in Dallas where a home will set you back $154,000 on average. With residents reporting average commute times of 18 minutes, SMU remains a large employer for University Park. Of its well-educated population more than 87% of adults have at least a bachelor’s degree compared to 31% of the population of Dallas.
The steel industry can be credited for much of Johnstown’s early prosperity. However, the steel crisis of the 1970s hit the town hard and its mills were all abandoned by the 1990s. Healthcare is one source of employment though only 12% of residents have a college education. This is reflected in the typical salary, with an average income of $23,636 a year. Property prices are also very low at $41,500 on average compared to a state-wide average of $170,500. Putting it in stark contrast with the next town on our list, Johnstown's poverty rate of 37.9% is nearly 10 times that of the seventh richest town which is 3.8%.
Part of Westchester County, this hamlet is often called Edgemont and attracts New Yorkers out of the city because of its strong schools and transportation connections. Greenville's residents typically take home $212,042 a year, and roughly 94% of the population owns their home. Greenville natives have included PR giant Harold Burson, founding chairman of Burson-Marsteller, before he returned to his hometown of Memphis after 73 years working in New York.
Helena and West Helena merged in 2006 creating a town with a total population of around 12,000. Before the Civil War cotton plantations had thrived, and in the 20th century many locals had jobs at the Mohawk Rubber Company until it closed in the 1970s. At this point unemployment surged, and the towns saw consolidation as a way to compete together, rather than with each other, for resources that could improve the economic situation. However, just over 10 years after the formation of Helena-West Helena 42.5% still live in poverty and only 11.2% have a college education. The typical household income is merely $21,667 a year.
Belvedere calls itself “a tiny city” due to its size of less than one square mile, and is surrounded on three sides by the water of San Francisco Bay. The population of just over 2,000 lives among its lush hills in primarily single-family homes many of which were designed by famous architects and considered historically significant. Not surprisingly the typical cost of a house here is a cool $2 million and the poverty rate is a scant 2.2%. The typical household earns $213,500 a year.
Largely agricultural, Natchitoches, Louisiana was particularly known for its booming cotton industry, until the industry became mechanized and fewer laborers were needed. Businesses closed in the 1970s as economic downturn took hold, and today 44.7% of Natchitoches lives in poverty. The typical household income is just $21,579 a year, and only 34.5% of residents own their home.
The Chicago suburb on Lake Michigan will look familiar from movies including Home Alone, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Risky Business and Uncle Buck. The typical household income is high at $216,875, and homes cost $1 million on average. Many properties are designed by renown architects and attract high-profile home buyers such as former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and the late actor Charlton Heston.
Bastrop, Louisiana started to suffer when two of its largest employers, a paper mill and a poultry plant, both announced closures in late 2008 and early 2009. That particular round of job loses in the largely agricultural town directly affected lower-income workers. At the latest count, only 11% of adults have a college education and the poverty rate is 43.5%. Typically, households take home $21,364 a year.
A DC suburb with large wooded lots that are popular with commuters, Wolf Trap has become an affluent neighborhood where households typically earn $218,750 a year. There are more benefits to living in Wolf Trap than its proximity to DC, and it is home to the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, which offers a 100-acre park and three different indoor and outdoor performance venues. Residents can enjoy opera, theatre for children or pursue private music lessons, among other concerts, literally in their backyard.
In the early 20th century John D. Rockefellar called this Cleveland suburb home. It even had a street nicknamed “Millionaire’s Row” for all its lavish mansions, many of which were demolished even before the 1930s. However, the population has dwindled from its 1950s peak of 40,000 to just over 17,000, and today only 34% of East Cleveland own their home, with houses worth $56,800 on average. Today, East Cleveland no longer attracts millionaires and typical household income is merely $21,184. In fact, more than 40% of the population lives in poverty, and nearly 90% of residents lack a college education.
Within commuting distance of Washington DC, two-thirds of Travilah's population is in employment, and its high-earning residents typically bring $225,104 home a year. This wealthy suburb clocked a typical house price of $1.07 million in 2017, and around 93% of the population in Travilah own their own home.
This enclave of Tucson has long fought off the city’s attempts to annex South Tucson, an initiatiev that goes as far back as the 1930s. Its population is largely Hispanic, with businesses and street art reflecting the town’s culture, and around 60% of households report that a language other than English is spoken at home. Residents typically earn just $21,160 a year. The average cost of a house is only $77,700, but this remains unaffordable for many with home owners making up just 29% of the population. A minuscule 4.2% of the town has a college education.
Directly opposite the Potomac River from Travilah, the third richest town in America, and down the road from the 4th richest, Wolf Trap, Great Falls is another a commuter hotspot for DC’s high-salary workers who typically bring home $230,450 a year. However, it also offer residents access to Great Falls National Park. House prices typically exceed $1.1 million and the poverty rate for the population of 15,000 is only 3%. Many politicians and directors from government agencies like the FBI and CIA have lived here, along with business executives.
The nation’s poorest town is Centreville, Illinois, which has a huge poverty rate of 48%, especially when we compare that to the nearby city of East St Louis at 43% and the state-wide 12%. Residents in Centreville typically earn just $17,441 a year, and house prices rank among the lowest as well, at $47,900. Centreville's population has dwindled over the years, with fewer and fewer heavy industry jobs on offer during the latter half of the 20th century, and the town that used to be home to 12,000 people in the 1950s, has seen its numbers more than halve.
America's richest town calls itself “a premier Silicon Valley residential community”. Many commuters to the San Francisco Bay area choose the lush foothills of Los Altos as home, which acts an escape from their well-paid – typical household income in the area is $248,218 – high-pressure jobs. The town was created in 1956, starting with several hundred ranch homes, with the aim of preserving “the rural atmosphere” and maintaining “orderly and unhurried growth". Today residents, such as Google's Sergey Brin and former baseball player Barry Bonds, have access to 80 miles of trails along with scenic views. A house in the area typically exceeded $2 million in 2017, and Redfin’s average list price for November 2019 was a whopping $4.39 million.
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