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.
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
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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
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
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
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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
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
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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
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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
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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
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
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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
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
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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
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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
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
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
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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
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
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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
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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
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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
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