The Richest County in Every State

J. David Herman
A.J. Jelonek / Wikimedia Commons
A.J. Jelonek / Wikimedia Commons

The richest counties in each U.S state, gathered in a recent GOBankingRates study, offer wide ranges of wealth, lifestyles and surroundings.

Some of the counties on our list include major cities. Some don’t include any cities. Some of the counties have populations over a million. Others, just a few thousand.

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The county with the highest median income in our list more than doubles the median income of the county with the lowest. Some counties are surrounded by water, others by desert or mountains.

Some “counties” aren’t even counties — we’ve ranked parishes in Louisiana. Alaska’s median income champion is a designated census area.

The following numbers are based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey for 2021, the most recent available. Our list counts down by state, lowest numbers to highest. We’ve also included each county’s largest cities and/or towns by population, based on U.S. Census data.

For some additional perspective while you browse, keep in mind that the real median income across the U.S. in 2021 was $70,784, according to the United States Census Bureau. That was down slightly from the 2020 figure: $71,186.

Here are the richest counties in America.

50. Arizona

  • Richest county: Maricopa

  • Richest county’s median household income: $72,944

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler

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49. South Carolina

  • Richest county: Beaufort

  • Richest county’s median household income: $74,199

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Hilton Head Island, Bluffton

48. Mississippi

  • Richest county: Madison

  • Richest county’s median household income: $74,688

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Jackson (partial), Madison, Ridgeland

47. Idaho

  • Richest county: Teton

  • Richest county’s median household income: $75,837

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Victor, Driggs

46. Arkansas

  • Richest county: Benton

  • Richest county’s median household income: $76,887

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Bentonville, Rogers, Bella Vista

45. Oklahoma

  • Richest county: Canadian

  • Richest county’s median household income: $76,973

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Oklahoma City (partial), Yukon, Mustang

44. Delaware

  • Richest county: New Castle

  • Richest county’s median household income: $78,428

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Wilmington, Newark

43. Maine

  • Richest county: Cumberland

  • Richest county’s median household income: $80,679

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Portland, South Portland, Scarborough

42. Alabama

  • Richest county: Shelby

  • Richest county’s median household income: $82,592

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Birmingham (partial), Hoover (partial), Vestavia Hills (partial), Alabaster

41. Montana

  • Richest county: Fallon

  • Richest county’s median household income: $83,750

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Baker

40. Vermont

  • Richest county: Grand Isle

  • Richest county’s median household income: $85,154

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Alburgh, Grand Isle

39. Louisiana

  • Richest parish: Ascension

  • Richest parish’s median household income: $86,256

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Gonzales, Donaldsonville

38. West Virginia

  • Richest county: Jefferson

  • Richest county’s median household income: $86,711

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Charles Town, Ranson

37. South Dakota

  • Richest county: Lincoln

  • Richest county’s median household income: $87,560

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Sioux Falls (partial), Harrisburg

36. Nebraska

  • Richest county: Sarpy

  • Richest county’s median household income: $88,408

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Bellevue, Papillion

35. North Carolina

  • Richest county: Wake

  • Richest county’s median household income: $88,471

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Raleigh, Durham (partial), Cary

34. Florida

  • Richest county: St. Johns

  • Richest county’s median household income: $88,794

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: St. Augustine

33. Michigan

  • Richest county: Livingston

  • Richest county’s median household income: $88,908

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Fenton (partial), Howell

32. Alaska

  • Richest county: Aleutians West Census Area

  • Richest county’s median household income: $90,708

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Unalaska

31. Missouri

  • Richest county: St. Charles

  • Richest county’s median household income: $91,792

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: O’Fallon, St. Charles

30. Oregon

  • Richest county: Washington

  • Richest county’s median household income: $92,025

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Portland, Hillsboro, Beaverton

29. Nevada

  • Richest county: Lander

  • Richest county’s median household income: $92,543

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Battle Mountain (unincorporated)

28. Hawaii

  • Richest county: Honolulu

  • Richest county’s median household income: $92,600

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Honolulu, East Honolulu

27. Iowa

  • Richest county: Dallas

  • Richest county’s median household income: $93,492

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: West Des Moines (partial), Urbandale (partial), Waukee

26. Wisconsin

  • Richest county: Waukesha

  • Richest county’s median household income: $94,310

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Milwaukee (partial), Waukesha

25. Wyoming

  • Richest county: Teton

  • Richest county’s median household income: $94,498

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Jackson

24. Rhode Island

  • Richest county: Bristol

  • Richest county’s median household income: $95,102

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Bristol, Barrington

23. Kansas

  • Richest county: Johnson

  • Richest county’s median household income: $96,059

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Overland Park, Olathe

22. North Dakota

  • Richest county: Burke

  • Richest county’s median household income: $97,802

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Powers Lake, Bowbells

21. Connecticut

  • Richest county: Fairfield

  • Richest county’s median household income: $101,194

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Bridgeport, Stamford

20. New Hampshire

  • Richest county: Rockingham

  • Richest county’s median household income: $101,683

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Derry, Portsmouth

19. Illinois

  • Richest county: Kendall

  • Richest county’s median household income: $101,816

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Aurora (partial), Joliet (partial), Plainfield (partial), Oswego

18. Indiana

  • Richest county: Hamilton

  • Richest county’s median household income: $104,858

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville

17. Washington

  • Richest county: King

  • Richest county’s median household income: $106,326

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Seattle, Bellevue, Kent

16. Minnesota

  • Richest county: Scott

  • Richest county’s median household income: $109,031

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Shakopee, Savage

15. Kentucky

  • Richest county: Oldham

  • Richest county’s median household income: $109,815

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: La Grange

14. Pennsylvania

  • Richest county: Chester

  • Richest county’s median household income: $109,969

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Tredyffrin (township), West Goshen (township)

13. Texas

  • Richest county: Rockwall

  • Richest county’s median household income: $111,595

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Dallas (partial), Garland (partial), Rowlett (partial), Rockwall

12. Ohio

  • Richest county: Delaware

  • Richest county’s median household income: $116,284

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Columbus (partial), Dublin (partial), Delaware

11. Utah

  • Richest county: Summit

  • Richest county’s median household income: $116,351

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Park City

10. Tennessee

  • Richest county: Williamson

  • Richest county’s median household income: $116,492

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Franklin, Spring Hill (partial), Brentwood

9. Massachusetts

  • Richest county: Nantucket

  • Richest county’s median household income: $116,571

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Nantucket

8. Georgia

  • Richest county: Forsyth

  • Richest county’s median household income: $120,999

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Cumming

7. New Mexico

  • Richest county: Los Alamos

  • Richest county’s median household income: $123,677

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Los Alamos, White Rock

6. New Jersey

  • Richest county: Morris

  • Richest county’s median household income: $123,727

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Parsippany-Troy Hills (township), Mount Olive (township)

5. New York

  • Richest county: Nassau

  • Richest county’s median household income: $126,576

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Hempstead, Oyster Bay

4. Colorado

  • Richest county: Douglas

  • Richest county’s median household income: $127,443

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Aurora (partial), Castle Rock, Parker

3. Maryland

  • Richest county: Howard

  • Richest county’s median household income: $129,549

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Columbia (unincorporated)

2. California

  • Richest county: Santa Clara

  • Richest county’s median household income: $140,258

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara

1. Virginia

  • Richest county: Loudoun

  • Richest county’s median household income: $156,821

  • Richest county’s largest cities/towns by population: Leesburg

Which State Has the Most ‘Rich’ Counties?

Based on 2020 U.S. Census numbers, Virginia has 18 of the 100 richest counties in the U.S. Virginia is followed by California (11), Maryland (10), New Jersey (9). New York and Texas are next on the list, with six each.

Methodology: GOBankingRates determined the richest county in every state by analyzing median household income data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey. All data is up to date as of Sept. 6, 2023.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Richest County in Every State

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