Does living in one of the richest cities in the United States make you a happier person?
Maybe not — the cost of living rises quickly with income.
Happiness isn’t the metric we’re measuring today, however. We’re looking to see which cities have the highest median income.
Where do you go to see the richest cities in the nation? The suburbs of major cities where people live in big homes, away from the grimy, packed downtown areas, that’s where.
So, what’s the richest big city in America, according to the data? Per the most recent ACS data, the richest city in America is Fremont.
$181,506 median income · $1,543,132 median home price
Our next stop, Fremont, California, probably won’t come as a surprise to anyone who lives in the state. When you think of wealthy areas in California, some people may think Beverly Hills or Sunnyvale. But in fact, it’s the jam-packed east bay city of Fremont that’s the wealthiest in all of the Golden State. Households here make earn the highest incomes. The residents here aren’t necessarily famous, but they’re definitely rich.
While you may see people in this city driving around in fancy cars, odds are people you meet there are really comfortable. In fact, people here are more likely to downplay their money than show it off. One reason people are ‘rich’ in Fremont is the fact that salaries are so inflated because the cost of living is so high. So, you’re not as ‘rich’ in Fremont as you would be in, say, Cary, NC.
And while it might be easy to scoff at the success of folks here, you have to remember, just about everyone here worked their butts off to get to where they are.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$146,427 median income · $1,463,614 median home price
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$136,719 median income · $1,557,982 median home price
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$140,970 median income · $1,356,662 median home price
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$123,860 median income · $868,680 median home price
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$108,077 median income · $1,001,265 median home price
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$110,886 median income · $858,022 median home price
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$123,062 median income · $802,016 median home price
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$108,032 median income · $846,372 median home price
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$95,227 median income · $950,504 median home price
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is the United States’s statewide median.
the United States statewide median: $80,734
the United States statewide median: $332,700
On the map
Where the richest cities in America are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the wealthiest cities in the US for 2026
When HomeSnacks looks at a place to live, we study the most important data you can find anywhere with Saturday Night Science — the data you would use at a bar to argue with friends over what city is richer.
For this analysis we used the U.S. Census’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey and Zillow. We considered the following categories:
- Median Incomes
- Median Home Prices
And, to be clear, we measured the 100 largest cities in America. So, while your little small town might be rolling in the dough, we’re only looking at the most populated areas.
To score the cities, we ranked each one from 1 to 100 where 1 is the “richest” for that category. We then averaged the two rankings into a rich score, with the lowest overall score being crowned richest in the United States.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the richest cities in America.
The full plate
Richest cities in the United States for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fremont, CA | 228,295 | $181,506 | $1,543,132 |
| 2 | San Jose, CA | 990,138 | $146,427 | $1,463,614 |
| 3 | Irvine, CA | 311,690 | $136,719 | $1,557,982 |
| 4 | San Francisco, CA | 830,235 | $140,970 | $1,356,662 |
| 5 | Seattle, WA | 754,195 | $123,860 | $868,680 |
| 6 | San Diego, CA | 1,389,526 | $108,077 | $1,001,265 |
| 7 | Scottsdale, AZ | 243,821 | $110,886 | $858,022 |
| 8 | Santa Clarita, CA | 230,221 | $123,062 | $802,016 |
| 9 | Chula Vista, CA | 276,375 | $108,032 | $846,372 |
| 10 | Anaheim, CA | 344,521 | $95,227 | $950,504 |
| 11 | Gilbert, AZ | 280,262 | $122,551 | $572,507 |
| 12 | Washington, DC | 681,294 | $109,870 | $582,914 |
| 13 | Santa Ana, CA | 312,534 | $93,999 | $866,066 |
| 14 | Oakland, CA | 439,418 | $101,600 | $716,248 |
| 15 | Boston, MA | 666,442 | $97,344 | $798,217 |
| 16 | Jersey City, NJ | 294,078 | $97,710 | $658,269 |
| 17 | Plano, TX | 290,594 | $112,253 | $498,989 |
| 18 | Chandler, AZ | 280,136 | $108,095 | $524,156 |
| 19 | Long Beach, CA | 455,548 | $87,430 | $857,861 |
| 20 | Riverside, CA | 319,069 | $91,045 | $646,784 |
| 21 | Los Angeles, CA | 3,857,263 | $81,939 | $952,183 |
| 22 | Denver, CO | 718,877 | $94,718 | $539,666 |
| 23 | Austin, TX | 979,539 | $93,658 | $508,530 |
| 24 | Portland, OR | 641,165 | $90,919 | $534,638 |
| 25 | Henderson, NV | 332,141 | $90,138 | $486,156 |
| 26 | Anchorage, AK | 288,976 | $103,284 | $410,782 |
| 27 | New York, NY | 8,483,844 | $80,483 | $812,861 |
| 28 | Chesapeake, VA | 252,583 | $95,373 | $420,756 |
| 29 | Aurora, CO | 394,432 | $88,368 | $463,081 |
| 30 | Sacramento, CA | 528,706 | $87,321 | $479,766 |
| 31 | Boise City, ID | 237,242 | $83,904 | $499,492 |
| 32 | Virginia Beach, VA | 456,349 | $92,968 | $427,032 |
| 33 | Reno, NV | 273,212 | $80,760 | $567,857 |
| 34 | Colorado Springs, CO | 487,887 | $84,818 | $449,452 |
| 35 | Raleigh, NC | 481,031 | $85,395 | $433,996 |
| 36 | Mesa, AZ | 511,764 | $82,752 | $435,134 |
| 37 | Charlotte, NC | 903,844 | $82,068 | $397,125 |
| 38 | Atlanta, GA | 505,268 | $85,652 | $385,599 |
| 39 | Stockton, CA | 322,326 | $79,907 | $431,328 |
| 40 | Phoenix, AZ | 1,642,323 | $81,332 | $410,169 |
| 41 | Durham, NC | 291,467 | $81,619 | $396,395 |
| 42 | Madison, WI | 278,001 | $78,050 | $423,767 |
| 43 | Bakersfield, CA | 411,986 | $80,540 | $396,047 |
| 44 | North Las Vegas, NV | 278,595 | $79,542 | $407,047 |
| 45 | Port St. Lucie, FL | 232,491 | $80,648 | $383,298 |
| 46 | Las Vegas, NV | 660,400 | $73,877 | $426,583 |
| 47 | Irving, TX | 256,492 | $81,830 | $341,503 |
| 48 | Minneapolis, MN | 427,246 | $80,846 | $330,882 |
| 49 | Glendale, AZ | 252,833 | $73,530 | $407,332 |
| 50 | Miami, FL | 459,745 | $62,462 | $579,564 |
| 51 | Tampa, FL | 401,618 | $75,475 | $374,888 |
| 52 | St. Petersburg, FL | 262,732 | $75,192 | $347,964 |
| 53 | Fresno, CA | 545,970 | $70,991 | $391,328 |
| 54 | Chicago, IL | 2,711,226 | $77,902 | $317,283 |
| 55 | Spokane, WA | 230,293 | $70,064 | $395,325 |
| 56 | Orlando, FL | 319,758 | $72,336 | $374,136 |
| 57 | Fort Worth, TX | 963,194 | $79,507 | $298,051 |
| 58 | Arlington, TX | 397,742 | $75,171 | $310,971 |
| 59 | Garland, TX | 246,844 | $76,320 | $286,805 |
| 60 | Huntsville, AL | 222,791 | $74,714 | $287,569 |
| 61 | Lexington-Fayette Urban County, KY | 323,725 | $69,479 | $331,036 |
| 62 | Albuquerque, NM | 562,218 | $68,317 | $344,457 |
| 63 | St. Paul, MN | 307,284 | $73,394 | $293,972 |
| 64 | Omaha, NE | 488,837 | $73,201 | $294,189 |
| 65 | Dallas, TX | 1,307,930 | $70,518 | $309,421 |
| 66 | Newark, NJ | 310,178 | $52,060 | $478,455 |
| 67 | Hialeah, FL | 226,165 | $55,594 | $443,804 |
| 68 | Lincoln, NE | 294,856 | $71,867 | $291,062 |
| 69 | Richmond, VA | 229,359 | $64,587 | $369,646 |
| 70 | Jacksonville, FL | 977,670 | $69,872 | $282,895 |
| 71 | Norfolk, VA | 233,596 | $66,109 | $306,227 |
| 72 | Kansas City, MO | 510,612 | $69,166 | $250,208 |
| 73 | Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government (Balance), KY | 631,818 | $66,849 | $263,814 |
| 74 | Houston, TX | 2,328,253 | $64,813 | $264,336 |
| 75 | Tucson, AZ | 547,073 | $57,073 | $324,023 |
| 76 | Columbus, OH | 914,802 | $66,082 | $245,979 |
| 77 | San Antonio, TX | 1,479,835 | $65,056 | $249,810 |
| 78 | Greensboro, NC | 301,198 | $61,515 | $264,428 |
| 79 | Corpus Christi, TX | 317,419 | $67,394 | $223,502 |
| 80 | Pittsburgh, PA | 304,759 | $65,742 | $237,533 |
| 81 | Indianapolis, IN | 885,860 | $66,219 | $229,209 |
| 82 | Oklahoma City, OK | 697,125 | $68,656 | $206,713 |
| 83 | Winston-Salem, NC | 252,037 | $59,268 | $264,333 |
| 84 | Fort Wayne, IN | 268,589 | $61,422 | $242,385 |
| 85 | Philadelphia, PA | 1,579,706 | $61,953 | $231,815 |
| 86 | Laredo, TX | 257,619 | $63,915 | $220,331 |
| 87 | Wichita, KS | 397,945 | $64,620 | $202,720 |
| 88 | New Orleans, LA | 371,853 | $56,631 | $242,493 |
| 89 | El Paso, TX | 680,130 | $59,745 | $234,775 |
| 90 | Cincinnati, OH | 311,224 | $52,909 | $249,568 |
| 91 | Baltimore, MD | 573,243 | $62,177 | $188,101 |
| 92 | Lubbock, TX | 264,814 | $60,895 | $209,436 |
| 93 | Tulsa, OK | 413,794 | $59,838 | $217,450 |
| 94 | Buffalo, NY | 276,854 | $50,041 | $238,089 |
| 95 | Milwaukee, WI | 566,973 | $54,234 | $220,137 |
| 96 | St. Louis, MO | 288,512 | $56,160 | $181,928 |
| 97 | Memphis, TN | 618,980 | $51,736 | $144,710 |
| 98 | Toledo, OH | 267,463 | $49,724 | $129,627 |
| 99 | Cleveland, OH | 366,097 | $40,801 | $115,537 |
| 100 | Detroit, MI | 638,530 | $39,938 | $75,358 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 + Zillow. The 100 largest US cities.
Summary
Summary: The wealthiest cities in the United States for 2026
After the analysis was over, we crowned Fremont as the richest city in America for 2026.
The richest cities in the United States are Fremont, CA, San Jose, CA, Irvine, CA, San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, San Diego, CA, Scottsdale, AZ, Santa Clarita, CA, Chula Vista, CA, and Anaheim, CA.
In most of these cities, people have it made financially. They have new homes, drive new cars, and have bright futures. But this comes at a cost — long work hours mean more stress and less family time.
For the rest of America, we can feel better about ourselves when we define rich as love, friends, health, or the little things in life.
