Richest County Household In California Rakes In $106,761/Year

SARATOGA, CA -- Big homes have become a large part of the landscape in the United States. But owning five of them may suit the needs of the wealthy in Santa Clara County, which was just named the richest county in California.

The typical household in the county rakes in about $106,761 a year, according to a report published Wednesday by the financial news and opinion site 24/7 Wall St. That’s almost $40,000 more than the typical California household, the authors found.

Here’s what the authors had to say:

One of the wealthiest counties in the country, Santa Clara County’s median annual household income of $106,761 exceeds the U.S. median by nearly $50,000. The county is home to San Jose and the surrounding Silicon Valley area, which has provided many of its residents with high-paying tech jobs.

More than one in five Santa Clara County households — 22.4% — earns over $200,000 annually, more than triple the national share. This high level of income allows residents to obtain a better level of health care, as well as make healthier lifestyle and food decision. These options have likely contributed to better overall health among Santa Clara County residents. The average life expectancy in the county of 82.7 years is more than four years longer than the national average.

Across the country, the typical household in the wealthiest counties earned between $58,000 and $130,000 a year, with Loudoun County, Virginia, coming in as the richest county in America.

The authors said Loudoun’s proximity to Washington, D.C., and access to “countless jobs” help bolster its strong unemployment rate of just 2.3 percent, well below the national rate of 3.8 percent. Moreover, many of those jobs are high-skilled — and high-paying.

About 60 percent of adults in Loudoun County have earned at least a bachelor’s degree — about twice as many as the country overall — and the typical household earns about $130,000 a year, the highest income of any county by more than $12,000.Other counties in the six-figure income club include Howard County, Maryland ($115,576); Douglas County, Colorado ($111,154); Hunterdon County, New Jersey ($110,969); Los Alamos County, New Mexico ($110,190); Santa Clara County, California ($106,761); Nassau County, New York ($105,744); Williamson County, Tennessee ($103,543); and Delaware County, Ohio ($100,229).

Meanwhile, Arizona’s Maricopa County earned the lowest amount out of all the wealthiest counties at $58,580. That’s about $5,000 more than what the typical Arizona household earns. Interestingly, Maricopa County is actually the only Arizona county that earns more than the national median of $58,580.

“While it is the wealthiest in the state, the county’s median of $58,580 is only slightly higher than that of the nation,” the authors noted.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

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