You know you live in a tony town when you make $500,000 a year and you’re below average. Such is life in Atherton, Calif., a Bay Area city with the highest average household income in the U.S.
It’s the only burgh that exceeds the half-million mark, according to the latest version of Bloomberg’s annual Richest Places index. Bloomberg says Atherton is the first and only community to hit that prodigious income level since it began compiling its index in 2017, and it has occupied the top spot all four years.
Bloomberg analyzed U.S. Census data to produce its list of the country’s 50 richest places in the U.S. “Places” are defined as having at least 2,000 households and roughly 6,280 places met the criteria to be ranked. Darnerstown, Md., brought up the rear in this index (if you can call it that) at number 50 with an average household income of $262,988.
This piece focuses on the top-10 richest places, which are listed below, along with their average incomes, in ascending order.
10. Darien, Conn.
$352,839
Beach clubs and yacht clubs make for a busy waterfront scene in this city of roughly 21,000 on Connecticut’s wealthy “Gold Coast” along Long Island Sound. Southwest Connecticut is home to a number of hedge funds and other asset managers, and many people commute to high-powered/high-paying jobs in nearby Manhattan.
9. Winnetka, Ill.
$353,700
This village sits on the shore of Lake Michigan, just 17 miles north of Chicago. Its website lauds the tree-lined streets, sandy beaches and well-regarded schools in Winnetka—a name derived from a Native American phrase believed to mean “beautiful land.” The Chicago Tribune says downtown Winnetka has aspects that mimic New York’s Hamptons, but without the celebrities.
8. Glencoe, Ill.
$358,543
As Winnetka’s neighbor on Chicago’s North Shore, these two villages (combined population of more than 20,000) share much of the same attributes regarding where people work and what makes their respective locales a desirable place to live.
7. Highland Park, Texas
$365,025
Located seven miles north of Dallas and bordering Southern Methodist University, this suburb’s central location attracts wealthy folks looking for a refuge within the sprawling Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex.
6. Short Hills, N.J.
$388,760
Short Hills isn’t a town, per se, but is part of Millburn Township in North Jersey. It does have its own post office, though. It’s a short commute from Manhattan and is home to enough high-income residents that it regularly appears on lists of the nation’s wealthiest communities.
5. Los Altos Hills, Calif.
$405,073
This is the first of three Bay Area communities to crack the top five on this list. It’s no surprise this town is ranked so high given that it’s smack dab in the heart of Silicon Valley near Palo Alto, Mountain View and Sunnyvale, which are home to some of the tech sector’s bellwethers. But it also has a rural feel thanks to the hills and trails next door in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
4. Cherry Hills Village, Colo.
$406,314
With the Rocky Mountains a short drive to the west and downtown Denver a short drive to the north, this small town of more than 6,000 attracts some of the Front Range’s wealthiest residents. As part of its mystique, the Cherry Hills Country Club has hosted three PGA championships on its fairways.
3. Hillsborough, Calif.
$430,681
Located in San Mateo County, this residential area is situated between the high-tech, wealth-generating meccas of San Francisco to the north and Silicon Valley to the south. The nearby Santa Cruz Mountains provide an escape to nature.
2. Scarsdale, N.Y.
$452,041
The richest town on the East Coast has a downtown that’s heavy on Tudor-style architecture and residential neighborhoods filled with people who earn big paychecks in Manhattan, which is a half-hour train ride into Grand Central Station.
1. Atherton, Calif.
$525,324
The roster of residents in this town just north of Palo Alto and Stanford University includes Charles Schwab, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg and NBA star Steph Curry.
