We’re just going to leave this right here: if you’re the 10th oldest state in the county, you better believe you house some crazy rich cities. And, yes, we’re talking about you Virginia.
If you’re looking for safe cities and neighborhoods, amazing schools, and high-end shopping, with a bank account to match, you can stop your search. There are cities in on our top ten tichest cities in Virginia that have these 5-star amenities, and then some. And, yes, they are mainly centralized around Washington D. C.
To create this list, we asked ourselves, what is important to rich people in Virginia? Besides the obvious: high paying jobs, affluent neighborhoods, crazy expensive Southern Colonial homes, Michelin rated restaurants, and more car services than Starbucks; the cities on our list had to cater to the ‘one percent’ on a different level. How does one get their hands on one of these shiny, Virginia pearls; where living your best life requires a boatload of money? Well, a couple of things have to fall into place for you. Well, you need to find a job that pays on average $90,000/year. Might we suggest a job in real estate in our number one richest city? The median home price in this city is over $700,000. You better have deep pockets if you want to live here, folks.
Wealthy people want to live in the best cities, so it’s not lost on us that there are multiple cities on our ten Best Cities to Live in Virginia for 2023 that are also on our richest list. So, pull up a chair, put on your spectacles, and read on to learn about the wealthiest places in Virginia.
Here are the 10 richest places in Virginia for 2023:
Did we mention that you either have to win the lottery or be a descendant of one of Virginia’s many notables like Warren Beatty to live in one of the wealthiest cities in the Old Dominion for 2023?
In all seriousness, we narrowed down the richest cities in Virginia by looking at several factors: poverty rate, median household income, unemployment rate. The cities also had to have a population of at least 3,000.
Without further adieu, what’s the one city in Virginia where the cobblestone streets are paved in gold? That would be Vienna, the richest city in Virginia for 2023.
To see how your city compared, or what cities made the top 10, take look below. And if you don’t see your city there, head to the bottom.
Rich people not your cup of tea? Feel free to check out some more reading about Virginia:
The 10 Richest Cities In Virginia For 2023
1. Vienna
/10
Population: 16,465
Median Income: $200,938
Median Home Values: $827,800
More on Vienna: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
2. Falls Church
/10
Population: 14,494
Median Income: $155,071
Median Home Values: $838,300
More on Falls Church: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
3. Fairfax
/10
Population: 23,980
Median Income: $118,492
Median Home Values: $596,800
More on Fairfax: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
4. Purcellville
/10
Population: 8,910
Median Income: $140,536
Median Home Values: $514,900
More on Purcellville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
5. Alexandria
/10
Population: 158,185
Median Income: $105,450
Median Home Values: $579,100
More on Alexandria: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
6. Leesburg
/10
Population: 48,223
Median Income: $116,350
Median Home Values: $490,500
More on Leesburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
7. Herndon
/10
Population: 24,574
Median Income: $117,741
Median Home Values: $470,200
More on Herndon: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
8. Poquoson
/10
Population: 12,382
Median Income: $112,026
Median Home Values: $358,700
More on Poquoson: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
9. Manassas
/10
Population: 42,596
Median Income: $101,934
Median Home Values: $356,500
More on Manassas: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
10. Berryville
Methodology: How We Determined The Richest Places In Virginia For 2023
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the richest places is simply identifying personal incomes. After all, rich people have really high salaries.
However, we don’t believe that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “richest places.” So we looked at this set of criteria from the newly released 2017-2021 American Community Survey and applied Saturday Night Science:
- Median Home Values
- Median Household Income
Median household income is the most digestible way to understand how rich a place is. And home values are a measure of wealth. The two combine to define a “Rich City.”
After we collected the data for all 77 places with more than 3,000 people in Virginia, we ranked each place from 1 to 77 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the richest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Rich Score,” with the place having the lowest overall Rich Score, Vienna, crowned the “Richest City In Virginia For 2023.”
The data has been updated for 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the wealthiest cities in Virginia.
You can skip to the end to see the rankings for all 77 places.
Summary: The Wealthiest Places In Virginia For 2023
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the richest places in Virginia, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Virginia.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very top of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the poorest cities in Virginia, according to data:
Poorest: Clifton Forge
2nd Poorest: Richlands
3rd Poorest: Norton
For more Virginia reading, check out:
- Safest Places In Virginia
- Cheapest Places To Live In Virginia
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Virginia
