Where Millionaires Live in America
Here is a nice article provided by Dan Burrows of Kiplinger:
By Dan Burrows, Contributing Writer | May 2017
A million dollars ain't what it used to be, but it still earns you entry into an elite group. Only 5.5% of the country, or about 6.8 million households, qualify as bona fide millionaires. That means they have investable assets of $1 million or more, excluding the value of real estate, employer-sponsored retirement plans and business partnerships.
Large populations and lucrative industries make New York and Los Angeles home to the most millionaires in America. No surprise there. However, it might surprise you that neither of these metropolises places among the top 10 cities with the highest concentration of millionaires.
Phoenix Marketing International, a firm that tracks the affluent market, ranked 915 urban areas, both large and small, based on the percentage of millionaire households in each. The following list of cities is limited to metropolitan areas with at least one urbanized area with a population of 50,000 or more. We will examine small cities with big millionaire populations in a separate story. Here are the 10 largest metropolitan areas boasting the highest concentration of millionaires in the U.S.
Estimates of millionaire households provided by Phoenix Marketing International. Investable assets include education/custodial accounts, individually owned retirement accounts, stocks, options, bonds, mutual funds, managed accounts, hedge funds, structured products, ETFs, cash accounts, annuities, and cash value life insurance policies. Metropolitan-area data on household incomes and home values are from the U.S. Census Bureau. Living costs are based on the Council for Community and Economic Research's Cost of Living Index .
10. Anchorage, Alaska
Millionaire Households: 11,299
Total Households: 147,919
Concentration of Millionaires: 7.6% (U.S.: 5.5%)
Median Income for All Households: $78,326 (U.S.: $53,889)
Median Home Value: $290,500 (U.S.: $178,600)
You don't have to be a millionaire to live in Anchorage, but it certainly helps. The city's remote location and limited local resources mean you'll pay a premium for most goods and services. Add it all up and Anchorage turns out to be one of the pricier U.S. cities in which to live, with living expenses running 30% higher than the national average, according to the Council for Community and Economic Research's Cost of Living Index. Be forewarned that if you want to mingle with Anchorage's millionaires, they might not be in such a good mood. Persistently low oil prices have sunk Alaska into its worst recession in 30 years.
9. Lexington Park, Md.
Millionaire Households: 3,097
Total Households: 40,097
Concentration of Millionaires: 7.7%
Median Income for All Households: $86,987
Median Home Value: $297,200
The economy of St. Mary's County, and in particular Lexington Park, hinges on military spending. The Naval Air Station Patuxent River is situated there, and the Pentagon is less than two hours away by car -- even less by helicopter -- making the area ideal for defense and aerospace research. A host of military contractors including DynCorp, KBRWyle, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Boeing account for thousands of high-paying science, technology and engineering jobs. With such a highly educated, highly skilled workforce, it should come as no surprise that there are so many millionaire households in and around Lexington Park.
8. Napa, Calif.
Millionaire Households: 3,941
Total Households: 50,890
Concentration of Millionaires: 7.7%
Median Income for All Households: $71,379
Median Home Value: $466,800
The wines produced by Napa's famed vineyards make the area a popular destination for casual drinkers and serious oenophiles alike. Roughly 475 wineries and 700 grape growers dot the Napa Valley area. Cult wines from renowned makers such as Screaming Eagle and Harlan Estate can command prices ranging from several hundred to several thousand dollars per bottle. Taken all together, the local wine economy is a $13-billion-a-year business and accounts for 46,000 jobs, according to Napa Valley Vintners, an industry trade group. And fine wine and tourism look to be lucrative businesses, judging by Napa's concentration of millionaires.
7. San Francisco, Calif.
Millionaire Households: 138,272
Total Households: 1,756,619
Concentration of Millionaires: 7.9%
Median Income for All Households: $88,518
Median Home Value: $718,400
Years of relentless growth driven by high-paid tech workers have given San Francisco some of the highest living costs in the country, meaning even those with fat paychecks can struggle to make ends meet. Home prices are famously high, an obstacle for aspiring homeowners, and renters fare little better. Overall, San Francisco's cost of living is 77% higher than the national average. Still, those plump incomes help a healthy chunk of San Franciscans sock away serious savings. Out of the nearly 1.8 million total households in the metro area, fully 23,000 have more than $5 million in investable assets.
6. The Villages, Fla.
Millionaire Households: 4,538
Total Households: 57,165
Concentration of Millionaires: 7.9%
Median Income for All Households: $51,335
Median Home Value: $243,500
Located an hour's drive north of Walt Disney World, smack-dab in the middle of Florida, you'll find The Villages, a sprawling retirement haven made up of multiple communities with town squares, stores, restaurants and recreational facilities. Well-heeled retirees who like to hit the links can play for free on any of the 36 executive courses at The Villages; plus, residents enjoy free membership at a dozen championship country club courses. If you prefer to hobnob away from the clubhouse, The Villages also sports a polo stadium. Retiring baby boomers with comfortable nest eggs are helping to make The Villages one of the fastest growing metro areas in the country.
5. Honolulu, Hi.
Millionaire Households: 26,146
Total Households: 327,356
Concentration of Millionaires: 8.0%
Median Income for All Households: $74,460
Median Home Value: $580,200
If you're looking to rub elbows with millionaires in an idyllic setting, Honolulu is the place to be. But the privilege comes at a steep price. Blame Hawaii's remoteness. Pretty much everything in Honolulu is more expensive than it would be on the mainland because it all has to make the long journey by boat or by plane. Overall living expenses in Honolulu run 90% above the national average, with costs for housing and utilities coming in particularly high. You can also blame the so-called Paradise Tax, says Jennie Allison of the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness, a nonprofit research group, referring to the premium residents are willing to cough up to live in such a paradise.
4. Oxnard, Calif.
Millionaire Households: 23,170
Total Households: 277,756
Concentration of Millionaires: 8.3%
Median Income for All Households: $80,032
Median Home Value: $528,700
Also known as Ventura County, the Oxnard metro area includes the pricey locales of Thousand Oaks (median income: $100,946), Moorpark ($99,777) and Oak Park ($120,696). Its proximity to Los Angeles helps explain the large concentration of wealth. So does the number of celebrities who call it home, a list that over the years has included Clark Gable, William Shatner and Cher. It also appeals to millionaires looking for alternatives to Santa Barbara and Malibu, which bracket the Oxnard area to the north and south. With its Mediterranean climate and miles of relatively uncrowded beaches, it's easy to see the appeal.
3. San Jose, Calif.
Millionaire Households: 57,826
Total Households: 675,455
Concentration of Millionaires: 8.6%
Median Income for All Households: $101,980
Median Home Value: $823,700
As hard as it is to fathom, a million dollars might not be enough to get by in Silicon Valley. The cities that make up this metro area -- including San Jose, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara -- are famous for being home to some of the biggest tech companies in the world. They are also famous for being home to exorbitant living expenses. Google, Apple, Facebook, Intel and Tesla are based nearby. No wonder overall housing-related costs are the highest in the nation, according to the Cost of Living Index. A six-figure median income helps cushion the burden, but just barely.
2. Washington, D.C.
Millionaire Households: 197,103
Total Households: 2,283,117
Concentration of Millionaires: 8.6%
Median Income for All Households: $93,294
Median Home Value: $401,500
The District of Columbia and its close-in suburbs such as Arlington, Va., are magnets for the highly educated seeking high-powered jobs. Luckily, many of those ambitious folks are highly paid. Fat paychecks come in handy considering rents and mortgages are more than double the national average, making the nation's capital one of the most expensive cities in the U.S. But if you can find an affordable place to live in the area, other living expenses are more manageable. D.C. health-care costs are slightly below the national average, for example, and a wide-ranging bus and metro system makes getting to and around the District surprisingly reasonable. And don't forget about all the free museums and monuments.
1. Stamford, Conn.
Millionaire Households: 30,227
Total Households: 348,421
Concentration of Millionaires: 8.7%
Median Income for All Households: $86,414
Median Home Value: $420,900
With its close proximity to New York City, Stamford has long welcomed wealthy commuters who make their livings in the Big Apple. Residents can also earn a good salary closer to home. The metro area, which includes Norwalk and Bridgeport, is the base for many hedge funds as well as prominent public companies such as Priceline and Pitney Bowes. And on top of Stamford being home to the highest concentration of millionaires in the nation, the state of Connecticut has the second-highest concentration of millionaire households after Maryland. You'll find the toniest of the tony population in Greenwich, a small town where the median household income tops $128,000 a year and the typical home is worth nearly $1.2 million. So forget millionaires. If you're looking for billionaires, this is the place to go.
Robert J. Pyle, CFP®, CFA is president of Diversified Asset Management, Inc. (DAMI). DAMI is licensed as an investment adviser with the State of Colorado Division of Securities, and its investment advisory representatives are licensed by the State of Colorado. DAMI will only transact business in other states to the extent DAMI has made the requisite notice filings or obtained the necessary licensing in such state. No follow up or individualized responses to persons in other jurisdictions that involve either rendering or attempting to render personalized investment advice for compensation will be made absent compliance with applicable legal requirements, or an applicable exemption or exclusion. It does not constitute investment or tax advice. To contact Robert, call 303-440-2906 or e-mail info@diversifiedassetmanagement.com.
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