10 Metros That Attract the Wealthy

Daily Real Estate News | Tuesday, February 12, 2013

The suburbs have the highest concentration of wealthy people, more so than cities, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data.
The wealthy tend to stay near major population centers, according to the study. For example, the region with the highest concentration of wealthy households in the nation is Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn., which is just north of New York City. Nearly 18 percent of residents there make more than $191,469 per year. In the nation, only 5 percent make that income.
The following are the 10 metros with the highest concentration of high-income households, as well as the percentage in each area where households are among the top 5 percent of U.S. incomes. (The study did not take into account the cost of living in these areas.)

1. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn.: 17.9%
2. San Jose-Sunnyvalle-Santa Clara, Calif.: 15.9%
3. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va.: 14.1%
4. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif.: 13%
5. Trenton-Ewing, N.J.: 11.6%
6. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa.: 10%
7. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, Calif.: 9.7%
8. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-N.H.: 9.7%
9. Boulder, Colo.: 9.4%
10. Napa, Calif.: 9.3%

Source: “Where the Rich People Live,” CNNMoney (Feb. 12, 2013)