What’s the Median Household Income by County in the US? 15+ Recent Stats

America has more than 3,000 counties spread over 50 states. A division that dates back to the early 1700s.

Counties’ boundaries have changed over the years, but their administrative role in local government remains the same.

Today, our focus is on the median household income by county. We’ll review an entire spectrum of metrics, but don’t forget that ordinary people are behind those numbers.

Financial stability is our natural strive, and we can’t deny that some of us are doing better than others in that department.

How much better?

Keep reading to find out.

Telling Stats About US Counties' Median Income (Editor’s Choice):

• The county with the highest median household income in 2020 was Loudoun County, Virginia.
• In 2020, Washington D.C. ranked above all 50 US states by median annual household income.
• Kendall County is the wealthiest in Illinois.
• Wolfe County, Kentucky, was the poorest in America in 2020.
• The first American county—James City County in Virginia—was established in 1634.
• The 2021 average household income in America was $96,955.
• More Americans are falling out of the middle-class income status.

Median Household Income in the US

Household income is a significant metric in terms of America’s economic status.

Useful insights can be derived from it about the wealth of the US nation.

And that’s what we’ll do today.

Let’s jump right in:

1. 33.5% of US households earned more than $100,000 in 2021.

(Source: DQYDJ)

Almost 43.59 million US households reached and topped the six-figure income threshold in 2021. That’s a lot more than the median earnings in the next stat.

2. The estimated US median household income is $74,099.

(Source: Seeking Alpha)

That estimate is for January 2022 and is $1,166 higher than the median income of households calculated in December 2021, which was $72,933.

The increase is by 1.6%.

3. A bachelor’s or a higher degree can generate a median yearly household income of $106,936.

(Source: PGPF)

A median of $106,936 was what you could get for having a higher education degree in the US in 2020.

A high school education would get you $47,405, while an associate degree—$68,769.

Those are all median numbers for household income.

4. The real median household income in the US was $67,521 in 2020.

(Source: Statista)

Maryland had the highest median inflation-adjusted household income of $94,384, while Mississippi had the lowest—$44,966.

The District of Columbia and New Hampshire are in the top three for this metric—$88,311 and $88,325, respectively.

5. Household income pertains to people older than 15.

(Source: US Census Bureau)

We’ve been using it a lot, but what is median household income exactly?

According to the US Census Bureau, household income is the combined gross pre-tax income of all household members over 15 years old for a period of12 months.

The median point divides that income into halves. Half of the households earn below that middle point, the other half—above.

Real income means that it’s adjusted to inflation.

Now, what is the average household income in the US, and how is it calculated?

Keep calm! We’re on it:

6. The US average household income was $96,955 in 2021.

(Source: DQYDJ)

A year earlier, that metric was nearly $97,974. The decrease of about $1,019 equals a drop of 1.04%.

The average (or mean) household income is calculated by dividing all households' total income by their number. Simple as that!

7. In 2020, the District of Columbia had the highest median household income in the United States at $90,842.

(Source: US Census Bureau)

The District of Columbia is not an actual state but a federal district. Nevertheless, it took the top place in 2020.

Maryland was the state with the highest median yearly household income of $87,063. Last was Mississippi, with $46,511.

Did you find your state in the table?

What place does it take?

Now, let’s check how US counties are doing in terms of income:

Median Household Income by County: Facts and Numbers

There’s no denying that the US is a big country.

One look at the world map proves it. So it’s no surprise that American counties are in the thousands.

Here’s an interesting fact:

8. In some states, counties are called boroughs or parishes.

(Source: Visual Capitalist)

For example, a parish is the equivalent of a county in Louisiana. That comes from its French catholic heritage.

On the other hand, Alaska calls its counties boroughs. Currently, there are 19 boroughs in the state. However, most of its territory is labeled as an unorganized borough.

9. The wealthiest county in the US is Loudoun, Virginia.

(Source: US Census Bureau)

With a median annual household income of $147,111, Loudoun county was the richest, according to the US Census Bureau 2020 data.

Its wealth can be traced back to the 1960s, when the Washington Dulles International Airport was built. Things have been going uphill from then on, with high-tech job openings and highly educated professionals working for enormous salaries.

That’s how Loudoun became so rich. But how wealthy are other US counties?

Let’s find out right now:

Top 100 Richest Counties in the US

10. Wolfe County, Kentucky, is the poorest county in the United States.

(Source: US Census Bureau)

Wolfe County had the lowest median US household income of $22,292 in 2020.

That same year, 29.7% of the county’s population lived in poverty.

The bad news:

In 2020, the poverty rate in the United States was 11.4%. That year, 37.2 million Americans lived in poverty. Wolfe County’s poverty rate was over 2.6 times higher.

Top 25 Poorest Counties in the US

11. In 2020, US income per capita was $35,384.

(Source: US Census Bureau)

We want to expand more on the per capita income by county for the richest and the poorest US regions from the two previous stats. That metric is about each individual’s income counted separately, not as part of a household.

Wolfe County’s income per capita was $14,162 in 2020. There’s a tangible difference of $21,222 (almost 2.5 times lower) than the standard of $35,384 in the US.

However, Loudoun County was flourishing with a personal income of $57,513. That’s about 1.6 times higher than the US norm.

Now, let’s look at the median income by county from a different angle. You’ll see what we mean in a bit:

12. Kendall is the richest county in the state of Illinois.

(Source: US Census Bureau)

What if we compare the median incomes of a state, county, and biggest city? In this case, that would be Illinois, Kendall County, and Chicago.

We’ll use the latest US Census Bureau data from 2020.

Kendall County leads by median income of a household. Chicago’s median income is a bit lower than Illinois’s.

Interestingly, Kendall households make about $30k more than those in Chicago and Illinois.

However, Chicago wins by per capita income with $39,068, although that metric is similar for all three “contestants.”

13. James City, Virginia, was the first US county.

(Source: Visual Capitalist)

It was established in the distant 1634, way before America became independent. James City is administratively a county.

Here’s an interesting fact:

Virginia (VA) is the state with the highest number of independent cities. How did that happen?

VA's division into cities and counties started in the early 17th century. It was hard to establish town centers back then because of the rural inhabitants and low productivity levels. Instead of that, local authorities established independent cities.

US Median Household Income Demographics

Household income levels vary across states, counties, cities, gender, age, and other demographics.

Keep in mind that an income doesn’t include only your salary. It can be any sum of money you get, such as self-employment earnings, wage, pension, welfare payments, rental or investment income, etc.

14. The average salary in America is $53,490.

(Source: Jobted)

So we can say that the average US income in 2022 that comes only from salary is $53,490. Some people do rely mostly on such earnings, if not most.

Pharmacists, for example, make 111% more than the average—$112,800. However, certified nursing assistants earn 45% less—$29,286.

The average weekly US salary right now is $1,028.

15. In 2020, the average annual pay in the state of Washington (WA) was $76,771.

(Source: Statista)

Compared to 2019, when the average pay in WA was $69,653, there’s a yearly increase of $7,118. That seems like a lot, considering that the pandemic hit around that time.

How about Washington state’s median income in 2020? Median WA household income was $77,006; per capita earnings were $40,837.

Not-so-fun fact:

16. Bullfrog County, Nevada, lasted for only two years.

(Source: Visual Capitalist)

While some counties last centuries, others dissolve quickly.

That’s the case with Bullfrog County, NA. It was established in 1987 and existed just for two years. Why?

The county’s primary purpose was to protect Yucca Mountain from turning into a nuclear waste dump. It wasn't inhabited and had no infrastructure.

Unfortunately, the nuclear issue is still ongoing.

17. The best-paying jobs are in the medical field.

(Source: Jobted)

Although the median income by county may vary, medical professions’ salaries remain the highest of all industries.

The average yearly salary of a neurosurgeon is $428,300. That’s the highest-paying profession of all.

18. Compared to men, women are underpaid.

(Source: PGPF)

In 2020, women’s individual median earnings were $50,982, while men’s were $61,417. That’s a massive gap of over $10,000.

So, the economic levels of both genders are not the same. In 2019, we have a similar pattern: women earned $47,889; men—$58,173.

19. American middle class has been shrinking.

(Source: Pew Research)

61% of Americans belonged to the middle class in 1971. Fifty years later, that middle class had shrunk to 50%.

As you can see, the shrinking of the middle-income Americans favors the other two tiers—the lower and higher income.

On the one hand, more people got wealthier—7% up over the past five decades. Conversely, the lower-income tier had also increased by 4%.

Wrap Up

Since the United States is divided into over 3,000 counties, median household income by county is a vast topic to discuss.

We can make endless comparisons, but we decided to look at the bigger picture and give you only the highlights.

There are plenty more topics to explore in the future, so stay tuned.