Special Report

These Are the Richest Places in the West

MarkHatfield / E+ via Getty Images

In any discussion of poverty in America, there’s an official baseline: For statistical purposes and the determination of benefits, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sets the current federal poverty level in the continental United States at $12,880 for individuals, $26,500 for families of four. (The rates are slightly higher for Alaska and Hawaii.)

The government has no equivalent definition of wealth, which can be very difficult to measure. Excluding the values of investments, property value, and other forms of wealth, to be considered in the top 20% of earners in America, you’d need an annual income of about $95,000 — in some states. In others, to reach that level, you’ll need more than $170,000. Those numbers pale to insignificance compared to the incomes of a relative few individuals. Here is the richest person of all time from your state.

An annual household income of about $95,000 will put you in the top 20% of American earners in some states, while in other states, it’ll take more than $170,000.

In determining the richest places in the West, 24/7 Wall St. has ranked the median household income in the approximately 20,000 places with 500 or more residents using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey.

We also reviewed the percentage of homes valued above $200,000 and — adding in education level, which is closely tied to earning potential — the number of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree. All data are 5-year averages through 2019. We only considered places where less than 25% of the population are enrolled in college or graduate school, as the presence of a large student population can skew income statistics.

The results reveal why California is considered “the Golden State.” Some 18 of the region’s richest places are there. Washington comes next with four, followed by Colorado with two, and Oregon with one. The top 15, however, share a first-place tie in terms of median household income.

Click here to see the richest places in the West.

MCMLXXXI / iStock via Getty Images

25. Camino Tassajara, California
> Median household income in 2019: $230,313 — #79 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 68.1% — #791 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 84.3% — #570 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 4,721

[in-text-ad]

MarkHatfield / iStock via Getty Images

24. Beaux Arts Village, Washington
> Median household income in 2019: $230,625 — #78 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 88.6% — #80 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 80.4% — #834 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 407

NordNordWest / Wikipedia

23. North Gate, California
> Median household income in 2019: $231,053 — #77 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 74.4% — #445 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 80.2% — #847 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 685

Anne... / Wikimedia Commons

22. Nicasio, California
> Median household income in 2019: $233,750 — #72 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 84.9% — #129 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 61.8% — #2,366 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 71

[in-text-ad-2]

Sundry Photography / iStock via Getty Images

21. Los Altos, California
> Median household income in 2019: $235,278 — #71 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 84.2% — #142 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 77.7% — #1,022 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 30,504

Jeffrey Beall / Wikipedia

20. Castle Pines Village, Colorado
> Median household income in 2019: $236,016 — #69 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 75.8% — #386 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 87.2% — #392 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 4,553

[in-text-ad]

Courtesy of Google Maps 2018

19. Clyde Hill, Washington
> Median household income in 2019: $238,958 — #62 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 76.8% — #341 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 79.4% — #908 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 3,329

ShakataGaNai / Wikipedia

18. Alamo, California
> Median household income in 2019: $239,545 — #61 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 74.2% — #452 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 84.1% — #580 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 14,905

17. Belvedere, California
> Median household income in 2019: $245,208 — #54 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 85.4% — #119 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 64.4% — #2,100 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 2,134

[in-text-ad-2]

eelphoto1 / iStock via Getty Images

16. Hidden Hills, California
> Median household income in 2019: $246,042 — #52 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 70.1% — #663 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 89.5% — #283 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 1,751

Arkyan / Wikipedia

15. Loyola, California
> Median household income in 2019: $246,563 — #51 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 89.4% — #74 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 85.3% — #511 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 3,367

[in-text-ad]

Tomsmith585 / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

14. Woodside, California
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 78.7% — #272 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 79.5% — #897 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 5,542

13. Atherton, California
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 81.9% — #194 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 81.8% — #741 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 7,168

Andrei Stanescu / Getty Images

12. Los Altos Hills, California
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 85.3% — #121 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 82.1% — #717 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 8,505

[in-text-ad-2]

Arkyan / Wikipedia

11. Hunts Point, Washington
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 72.5% — #536 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 67.4% — #1,821 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 389

10. Cherry Hills Village, Colorado
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 84.3% — #140 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 89.8% — #265 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 6,647

[in-text-ad]

MarkHatfield / E+ via Getty Images

9. Yarrow Point, Washington
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 84.2% — #142 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 83.8% — #599 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 1,202

Gary gary gary at en.wikipedia

8. Hillsborough, California
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 78.9% — #264 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 83.3% — #637 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 11,447

Swedg / Flickr

7. Norris Canyon, California
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 84.6% — #132 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 93.6% — #143 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 897

[in-text-ad-2]

Ixnayonthetimmay / Public Domain

6. Rolling Hills, California
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 70.4% — #648 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 74.2% — #1,292 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 1,513

LPS.1 / Wikipedia

5. Monte Sereno, California
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 79.1% — #257 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 84.3% — #566 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 3,479

[in-text-ad]

4. Ladera, California
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 88.8% — #79 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 93.2% — #153 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 1,607

3. Lake Sherwood, California
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 74.1% — #457 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 77.4% — #1,040 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 1,677

2. Taylorsville, California
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 29.4% — #7,221 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 46.3% — #4,211 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 198

[in-text-ad-2]

Your Golf Travel | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

1. Pronghorn, Oregon
> Median household income in 2019: $250,000+ — tied for #1 out of 29,320 places
> Adults with a bachelor’s degree in 2019: 100% — #1 out of 29,320 places
> Pct of households with home values above $200,000: 29.2% — #7,163 out of 29,320 places
> Total adult population in 2019: 44

Get Ready To Retire (Sponsored)

Start by taking a quick retirement quiz from SmartAsset that will match you with up to 3 financial advisors that serve your area and beyond in 5 minutes, or less.

Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests.

Here’s how it works:
1. Answer SmartAsset advisor match quiz
2. Review your pre-screened matches at your leisure. Check out the advisors’ profiles.
3. Speak with advisors at no cost to you. Have an introductory call on the phone or introduction in person and choose whom to work with in the future

Get started right here.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.