Virginia Composes 20% of 20 Richest Counties in America

Living in a rich Virginia county comes with perks. Your kids probably have access to higher-quality schools, it’s likely above average for safety, and you probably get to take advantage of better infrastructure.

Some Virginians are happy to pay the higher taxes and cost of living that come with living in a wealthy county. Others, not so much—assuming they can even afford it at all.

Credit Karma dug into which U.S. counties are the richest. You probably have a sense of whether your county falls on the upper, middle, or lower end of the wealth scale. But can you guess which counties are the most affluent of them all?

Tracking America’s Wealthies Counties

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To determine the richest counties, Credit Karma used data from the Census Bureau’s 2020 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. They took several factors into account, including poverty rates and mean and median household incomes. 

Did your county make the list? 

1. Falls Church City, Virginia

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  • Median household income: $146,922
  • Mean household income: $183,898
  • Poverty rate: 2.0%

2. Loudoun County, Virginia

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  • Median household income: $147,111
  • Mean household income: $174,594
  • Poverty rate: 3.2%

3. San Mateo County, California

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  • Median household income: $128,091
  • Mean household income: $182,158
  • Poverty rate: 6.2%

4. Santa Clara County, California

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  • Median household income: $130,890
  • Mean household income: $174,331
  • Poverty rate: 7.2%

5. Marin County, California

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  • Median household income: $121,671
  • Mean household income: $181,737
  • Poverty rate: 6.9%

6. Fairfax County, Virginia

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  • Median household income: $127,866
  • Mean household income: $163,072
  • Poverty rate: 5.9%

7. Howard County, Maryland

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  • Median household income: $124,042
  • Mean household income: $152,857
  • Poverty rate: 5.1%

8. Nassau County, New York

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  • Median household income: $120,036
  • Mean household income: $158,190
  • Poverty rate: 5.4%

9. Arlington County, Virginia

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  • Median household income: $122,604
  • Mean household income: $156,941
  • Poverty rate: 6.4%

10. Douglas County, Colorado

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  • Median household income: $121,393
  • Mean household income: $148,591
  • Poverty rate: 3.2%

11. Hunterdon County, New Jersey

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  • Median household income: $117,858
  • Mean household income: $153,810
  • Poverty rate: 3.9%

12. San Francisco County, California

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  • Median household income: $119,136
  • Mean household income: $167,663
  • Poverty rate: 10.1%

13. Morris County, New Jersey

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  • Median household income: $117,298
  • Mean household income: $156,161
  • Poverty rate: 4.8%

14. Somerset County, New Jersey

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  • Median household income: $116,510
  • Mean household income: $157,405
  • Poverty rate: 5.1%

15. Nantucket County, Massachusetts

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  • Median household income: $112,306
  • Mean household income: $159,593
  • Poverty rate: 4.5%

16. Summit County, Utah

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  • Median household income: $106,973
  • Mean household income: $159,593
  • Poverty rate: 4.5%

17. Los Alamos County, New Mexico

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  • Median household income: $119,266
  • Mean household income: $142,293
  • Poverty rate: 4.0%

18. Williamson County, Tennessee

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  • Median household income: $111,196
  • Mean household income: $149,051
  • Poverty rate: 4.7%

19. Montgomery County, Maryland

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  • Median household income: $111,812
  • Mean household income: $152,779
  • Poverty rate: 6.6%

20. Forsyth County, Georgia

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  • Median household income: $112,834
  • Mean household income: $135,597
  • Poverty rate: 5.2%

Richest County in Virginia

Virginia road in the fall.
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Falls Church County ranked the richest in Virginia and in the U.S. overall, and Credit Karma isn’t the only resource concluding that. One report tracking 2022 data from the IRS ranked the citizens of Falls Church as the wealthiest in Virginia based on investment income per capita, home value, and income. Falls Church’s median home value was approximately $930,000. That’s over $120,000 higher than other wealthy areas in Virginia. 

Also on Credit Karma’s list is Virgina’s Fairfax County, home to McLean, a city noted for its large increase in wealth over the years. McLean’s household wealth increased over 20% from 2021 to 2024. Over the same period, the percentage of residents earning $200,000 or more rose from 52% to 61%. Comparatively, billionaires in the U.S. have enjoyed a 34% bump in their wealth between 2020 and 2024. 

Wealthy Californians Leaving the State

Highway 1 and Big Sur coast, California.
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Three California counties are among the top five richest counties. It may not remain that way for long, though.

Case in point? In 2019, the Golden State had the largest number of the richest Americans living there. In 2019, nearly 100 California-based billionaires were worth approximately $700 billion combined. During this time, California was the country’s highest earner with a GDP of about $3 trillion. 

Fast forward to 2024, and rich Californians are leaving the state in droves because of the new state tax rate of 14.4%. The population of California fell to under 39 million, the lowest number since 2015. Over the last three years, about 750,000 Californians left with several thousand of them being well-educated high earners. 

The Richest States Ranked

Money.
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Howard County, Maryland, ranks as the seventh richest county in America, while U.S. News named Maryland the second richest state. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey shows that the median household income in Maryland is about $95,000. The largest employer in the state is the government, with a workforce of over 500,000 people. 

According to the same report, New Jersey is the wealthiest state with a median income of about $96,000. The Garden State’s largest number of workers comes from trade, transportation, and utilities businesses.

Most to Least Expensive States To Retire

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Are you hoping to settle down in a cheaper state during retirement? These are the states to consider and, equally important, those you’re better off avoiding.

Most to Least Expensive States to Retire Ranked From 1 to 50

9 Hilarious Virginia Town Names That’ll Make You LOL

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PSA: Read this where you won’t embarrass yourself laughing. Whether you’re a Virginia local or just passing through, these town names are sure to make you chuckle when you see them.

9 Hilarious Virginia Town Names That’ll Make You LOL

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