Rich and Poor in America

Where you live in the U.S. can greatly influence how much you earn.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the following cities and counties rank among the wealthiest and poorest in the nation based on median household income.

Richest American Cities
(Population over 250,000)
Rank City Median household income, 2004
1 San Jose, CA $71,765
2 Anchorage, AK $61,565
3 San Francisco, CA $60,031
4 Virginia Beach, VA $55,781
5 San Diego, CA $51,382
6 Anaheim, CA $49,622
7 Raleigh, NC $47,878
8 Seattle, WA $46,650
9 Washington, DC $46,574
10 Honolulu, HI $46,500
11 Oakland, CA $46,190
12 Charlotte, NC $46,082
13 Boston, MA $45,892
14 Arlington, TX $45,712
15 Austin, TX $45,508
16 Colorado Springs, CO $45,388
17 Riverside, CA $44,866
18 Las Vegas, NV $44,737
19 Aurora, CO $44,480
20 Minneapolis, MN $44,116
Poorest American cities
(Population over 250,000)
Rank City Median household income, 2004
1 Miami, FL $24,031
2 Newark, NJ $26,309
3 Cleveland, OH $27,871
4 Detroit, MI $27,871
5 Buffalo, NY $28,544
6 St. Louis, MO $30,389
7 Philadelphia, PA $30,631
8 Milwaukee, WI $31,231
9 New Orleans, LA $31,369
10 El Paso, TX $31,764
11 Tucson, AZ $31,901
12 Pittsburgh, PA $31,910
13 Cincinnati, OH $31,960
14 Memphis, TN $32,399
15 Baltimore, MD $34,055
16 Toledo, OH $35,239
17 Tulsa, OK $36,255
18 Oklahoma City, OK $36,347
19 San Antonio, TX $36,598
20 Stockton, CA $37,322
Richest counties in the U.S.
(Population over 250,000)
Rank City Median household income, 2004
1 Fairfax County, VA $88,100
2 Somerset County, NJ $84,892
3 Morris County, NJ $83,583
4 Montgomery County, MD $82,971
5 Howard County, MD $82,065
6 Nassau County, NY $78,762
7 Prince William County, VA $77,678
8 Monmouth County, NJ $77,223
9 Rockland County, NY $75,306
10 Santa Clara County, CA $74,509
11 Fairfield County, CT $73,110
12 Chester County, PA $72,288
13 Suffolk County, NY $71,956
14 McHenry County, IL $71,153
15 Bergen County, NJ $70,957
16 Norfolk County, MA $70,903
17 Lake County, IL $70,347
18 Middlesex County, NJ $70,344
19 DuPage County, IL $70,174
20 Westchester County, NY $70,095
Poorest counties in the U.S.
(Population over 250,000)
Rank City Median household income, 2004
1 Hidalgo County, TX $24,778.00
2 Cameron County, TX $26,290.00
3 Bronx County, NY $28,705.00
4 El Paso County, TX $28,925.00
5 St. Louis city, MO $30,389.00
6 Philadelphia County, PA $30,631.00
7 Caddo Parish, LA $31,317.00
8 Orleans Parish, LA $31,369.00
9 Baltimore city, MD $34,055.00
10 Mahoning County, OH $34,132.00
11 Polk County, FL $34,206.00
12 Luzerne County, PA $34,341.00
13 Oklahoma County, OK $35,182.00
14 Mobile County, AL $35,512.00
15 Lake County, FL $35,856.00
16 E. Baton Rouge Parish, LA $35,954.00
17 Pasco County, FL $35,997.00
18 Kings County, NY $36,030.00
19 Nueces County, TX $36,050.00
20 Marion County, OR $36,591.00
 

Source: U.S. Census, CNNMoney

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