Williamson County, located in Tennessee, is one of the wealthiest counties in the United States. According to Forbes magazine, it is ranked as the richest county in Tennessee and among the 10 richest counties in the country. People who live in the richest counties in the US enjoy high incomes without the heavy cost pressures that often come with them. The wealthiest counties in America are generally found in metropolitan areas such as Washington DC. But as is often the case with these things, the richest counties in the US also tend to be the most expensive.
So while residents of the richest counties can enjoy the highest incomes, they also tend to bear the highest living costs. To get a more realistic picture of the richest counties in the US, we need to adjust incomes for cost of living. This cost-of-living adjustment provides a much more accurate view of where the highest incomes go furthest, not just who wins the race for salaries. That's why many of the wealthiest counties in America are located in some unexpected places. Williamson County is tenth on our list of the richest counties in the US. Nearly 62% of Williamson County residents have a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 28.5% nationally.
The economic health of the area is reflected in other statistics, such as its poverty rate of 4.5%, compared to 11.8% nationally. Los Alamos County, located about 35 miles northwest of Santa Fe, is home to a government nuclear weapons laboratory and several chemists, engineers and physicists. It is a compact area with a small population, but with a large percentage of highly educated and trained engineers and scientists. Incomes are so high in relative terms that, even after factoring in its high cost of living, Los Alamos is still one of the wealthiest counties in America. More than 97% of residents have a high school degree or better, compared to 87.3% nationally. 67.4% have at least a bachelor's degree, compared to 33.4% nationally. The county's poverty rate is also favorable - at 4.4%, it is a fraction of the state rate of 19.1%.
Another feather in Los Alamos' cap? US News & World Report ranks it as the healthiest community in the country. The District of Columbia and suburbs such as Prince William County (and some neighbors, as we'll see below) attract people with a high level of education who seek high-power jobs. This agglomeration of ambitious people makes the metropolitan area a mecca for millionaires - it has the fourth highest concentration of millionaire households in the US. Prince William County (PWC), located southeast of DC and surrounding independent cities Manassas and Manassas Park, offers an enviable balance between high incomes and not too high costs of living. The average household income is 63% higher than that of the US median, but PWC's cost of living is only 5.3% above the national average. Delaware County, a suburb of Ohio's state capital Columbus, is often on lists of wealthiest counties in America. And while higher incomes tend to mean higher living costs, Delaware manages to keep them mostly under control - after adjusting for costs, Delaware moves to sixth place on our list. In addition to everything Columbus metropolitan area has to offer, Delaware County has many attractions of its own - from Columbus Zoo and Aquarium to Olentangy Indian Caverns and Alum Creek State Park.
