Making It in the Bay

4 Bay Area Counties Among 15 Richest in the US: Report

Counties in the Bay Area and near Washington, D.C. were well-represented in the U.S. News & World Report list

A homes stands at dusk in Los Altos Hills.
David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Four Bay Area counties are among the 15 richest in the country, according to a report.

Santa Clara County checked in at No. 3 on the list from U.S. News & World Report, which based the rankings on median household income. San Mateo County followed at No. 4, Marin County landed at No. 8 and San Francisco County settled in at No. 12.

Two Virginia counties — Loudoun and Falls Church — grabbed the top two slots, respectively. No other California counties made the list.

U.S. News & World Report said it pulled data from American Community Survey estimates for 2016-2020.

Check out the complete top 15 list below.

RANKCOUNTY/COUNTY EQUIVALENTSTATEMEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME
1LoudounVirginia$147,111
2Falls ChurchVirginia$146,922
3Santa ClaraCalifornia$130,890
4San MateoCalifornia$128,091
5FairfaxVirginia$127,866
6HowardMaryland$124,042
7ArlingtonVirginia$122,604
8MarinCalifornia$121,671
9DouglasColorado$121,393
10NassauNew York$120,036
11Los AlamosNew Mexico$119,266
12San FranciscoCalifornia$119,136
13HunterdonNew Jersey$117,858
14MorrisNew Jersey$117,298
15SomersetNew Jersey$116,510
Ieman Marouf is a first-generation Egyptian American, and a single mom of two. She works as a medical assistant in Reston, Virginia, part of Fairfax County — one of the priciest counties in the nation. For our "Standing Still" photo series, Marouf talked to NBCLX contributor Valerie Plesch about making ends meet, getting back on her feet after catching COVID-19 and losing her job, and her goal to get her bachelor's degree and become a nurse.
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