Since new tariffs will soon be making some consumer goods more expensive, it’s only natural to wonder about the ability of families to keep up. Logically, families with higher incomes will weather the price hikes best. Therefore, a good question is: in which states and cities are household incomes the highest?
According to the latest data from the American Community Survey (ACS), conducted by the Census Bureau, Maryland is the state with the highest median household income, $78,945.
(The median is the data point at which half of all the numbers are higher and half are lower.)
Following closely behind Maryland are Alaska, $76,440; New Jersey, $76,126; District of Columbia, $75,506; and Massachusetts, $75,297.
At the bottom for median household income are: Alabama, $46,257; Louisiana, $45,146; Arkansas, $44,334; West Virginia, $43,385; and Mississippi, $41,754.
There are 21 states or districts/territories with median household incomes above the country-wide average of $57,617 and 31 below it. (The sum of 52 states and territories is due to the inclusion of Puerto Rico, where the median household income is only $20,078.)
Map 1: Median* Household Incomes – U.S. States
* The median is the data point at which half of all the numbers compiled are higher and half are lower.
Data source: 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) conducted by U.S. Census Bureau.
Graphic: ConstructConnect.
Map 2: Median* Household Incomes – U.S. States
(Higher than the national median household income of $57,617)
* The median is the data point at which half of all the numbers compiled are higher and half are lower.
Data source: 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) conducted by U.S. Census Bureau.
Graphic: ConstructConnect.
Map 3: Median* Household Incomes – U.S. States
(Lower than the national median household income of $57,617)
* The median is the data point at which half of all the numbers compiled are higher and half are lower.
Data source: 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) conducted by U.S. Census Bureau.
Graphic: ConstructConnect.
In a median-household-income ranking of the 25 most populous metropolitan areas (MSAs) in the U.S., there are 20 cities with figures above the national average and only five beneath it. Clearly, incomes are highest in the biggest urban centers.
The five cities at the summit of the household income ranking are: San Francisco, $96,677; Washington, $95,843; Boston, $82,380; Seattle, $78,612; and Baltimore, $76,788.
Four of those cities − San Francisco, Washington, Boston and Seattle − are renowned high-tech hubs. Furthermore, city number five, Baltimore, benefits from being within commuting distance of the nation’s capital.
All three of the most populous cities in Florida have median household incomes that are below the national average. Also, there is almost no separation between them with respect to dollar levels.
Two of the three MSAs in Texas that are among America’s 25 biggest by resident count have median household incomes that are greater than the national average − Dallas-Ft. Worth and Houston. The other, San Antonio, doesn’t quite clear the bar.
All the below-national-average with respect to median-household-income cities are in the South, with one exception, Detroit.
California’s four representatives have considerable diversity in their income levels. The median household income in San Francisco is more than one-third (37%) higher than in San Diego; almost one-half (47%) higher than in Los Angeles; and two-thirds (66%) higher than in Riverside.
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