The 10 Richest Towns in America

5. University Park city, Texas

> Median household income: $173,520

> Total population: 23,460

> Median home value: $968,300

> Metropolitan area: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

As in most of the wealthiest American towns, more than 44% of households in University Park reported incomes of at least $200,000, many times the less than 5% of households across the nation. High levels of education, which tend to open doors to higher paying employment opportunities, may account for many of the region’s high incomes. While just under 29% of adults nationwide had at least a bachelor’s degree, nearly 84% of University Park adults had completed at least a bachelor’s degree. The city is also one of two high-income areas within commuting distance of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area, where residents have access to higher numbers of higher-paying jobs.

4. West University Place city, Texas

> Median household income: $205,136

> Total population: 15,033

> Median home value: $781,300

> Metropolitan area: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

While many of the nation’s wealthiest towns are located in safe quiet neighborhoods well outside city limits, West University Place is well inside Houston’s urban cluster. The city had a median home value of $781,000, far above a median of $176,700 nationwide. Residents of these wealthy communities work in a high-skill and high-paying position, and West University Place is no different. The city is one of the most highly-educated communities in the country. Effectively every adult had at least a high school diploma, and 86.5% had at least a bachelor’s degree compared to 28.8% of American adults. More than 26% of West University Place workers were employed in professional, scientific, management, and administrative roles, compared to 10.6% of workers nationwide.

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3. Piedmont city, California

> Median household income: $207,222

> Total population: 10,852

> Median home value: $1,000,000+

> Metropolitan area: San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA

The second San Francisco suburb to make this list is Piedmont, which shares Alameda County with Oakland, located just a few miles away. These two cities are a model case of income disparity in small geographic areas. Oakland had an annual median household income of $52,583. In Piedmont, a typical household earned $207,222. Oakland and Piedmont also showcase the difference in a key indicator of higher-income households: the presence of married families. While just 32.8% of Oakland households included a married couple, 76.9% of Piedmont households did. Piedmont services the Bay Area, and those employed are much more likely to work in the professional and business sectors. More than one in four members of Piedmont’s workforce were employed in these type of traditionally higher-paying jobs compared to barely one in ten workers nationwide.

2. Winnetka village, Illinois

> Median household income: $211,250

> Total population: 12,273

> Median home value: $936,200

> Metropolitan area: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

Like all of the wealthiest communities, Winnetka’s population is highly-paid and highly-educated. All but 0.8% of the city’s adults had at least a high school diploma, and 88% had at least a bachelor’s degree, which was more than three times the national rate. The Chicago metropolitan area, where Winnetka is located, is not known for having a particularly expensive housing market — the median home value there was just $206,300, 68th among large metro areas. In Winnetka, however, the median home value was $936,200.

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1. Scarsdale village, New York

> Median household income: $233,311

> Total population: 17,337

> Median home value: $1,000,000+

> Metropolitan area: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Dollar Money Icon with Bag. Vector.

Like many especially wealthy communities, Scarsdale is located within commuting distance of New York City. Scarsdale, located in the famously-affluent Westchester County, tops this list with an annual median household income close to four and a half times the national median income of $53,046. Many of the top-paid employees in the New York metropolitan area work in finance, and Scarsdale also has a high concentration of employment in the sector. While 10.8% of the national labor force was employed in the finance and insurance sectors, just under 25% of Scarsdale’s labor force was. Homes are expensive in the New York area with a median value of $392,700. In Scarsdale, the median home was valued at more than $1,000,000.