Money Magazine released the results of the publication’s survey of the towns with the highest median household income. New Canaan, Connecticut tops the list with a median income of $231,138.
Considering a move to help your income go farther? Don’t choose one of these locales. Considering a move to be closer to culture, leisure, and advanced education without living in a city? These towns might be for you. Here are the top ten.
1. New Canaan, CT, $231,138. “New York City’s elite once chose New Canaan as a vacation town, but they liked it so much, they decided to stay there year-round and turn it into one of the nation’s wealthiest residential communities.”
2. Darien, CT, $218,130. “Darien was once a vacation community for New York City’s upper crust who decided to lay down year-round roots.”
3. Lake Forest, IL, $212,122. “With a town plan heavily influenced by English gardens, Lake Forest is home to mansions and vast estates seated on the bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan.”
4. Saratoga, CA, $196,420. “The [Paul Masson] Winery is still there, but so are the best and brightest of Silicon Valley, whose fortunes have spilled over into this upscale bedroom community.”
5. Westport, CT, $193,540. “Once an artist’s colony, Westport is now better known as an affluent bedroom community on Long Island Sound that’s held on to its cultural roots.”
6. Los Altos, CA, $189,839. “The village, in San Francisco’s Bay Area, has become a haven for techland’s top earners. Still, the birthplace of Hewlett-Packard prides itself on maintaining a semi-rural feel.”
7. Potomac, MD, $183,258. ”[M]uch of Potomac has been turned over to the Washington, D.C., area’s wealthiest residents… If you are of an equestrian bent, the area still offers a number of riding schools, breeders and stables.”
8. McLean, VA, $180,103. “If you want your neighbors to be rich AND powerful, move to McLean. Vice President Dick Cheney is said to be building a home there for when he leaves the West Wing… [B]e careful who’s listening: The CIA is headquartered in the town’s Langley area.”
9. Wellesley, MA, $172,900. “The Boston suburb is home to the school of the same name, which is consistently rated as one of the nation’s top liberal arts colleges. Notable alumni include Senator Hillary Clinton…”
10. University Park, TX, $170,150. “University Park started as a group of houses surrounding Southern Methodist University almost 100 years ago. Since then it’s been swallowed up by Dallas’ urban sprawl, but the area still likes to maintain its identity.”
Other towns in the top 25 include Bethesda, MD, Greenwich, CT, Ridgewood, NJ, Los Gatos, CA, Deerfield, IL, and Garden City, NY.
25 top-earning towns, Money Magazine, June 14, 2008
Subscribe
10:55 am (reply)
The Vice President does not live at the White House, he lives in a house at the US Naval Observatory.
11:48 am (reply)
What they don’t mention is what the cost of living is in those cities. I suspect its pretty high considering most of the residents are professionals and CEOs.
I’ll stick with my sleepy southern city where we have short winters, long summers and an extremely low cost of living with more amenities than most people think. It isn’t for everyone, but its for me.
12:27 pm (reply)
I’ve lived (and currently do live) pretty darn close to 5 of the top 10 (9 of the top 25). All really nice places. My income, sadly, is nowhere near that high.
1:49 pm (reply)
Potomac, Md is def. killer – my wife grew up there and stop by every other week or so. If you’re ever moving there, or visiting, be prepared for the worst drivers ever. They just do whatever they want – maybe because they’re richie rich :) OH, and they also like to walk/run in front of you too without looking, that’s my fav.! haha…. it is a beautiful place though.
4:48 pm (reply)
Looks like CT is the place to be. Those figures could be skewed though
5:31 pm (reply)
wyche128: Skewed in what way? We’re talking about median income, not mean income. The median can’t be skewed by a small population of really high incomes.