DC Suburbs Make Up 7 of the 10 Richest Counties in America

A 2011 survey finds Washington-area counties are rolling in dough.

Written by Mallory Yu | Published on September 21, 2012

2012-09-21.richestcounties.jpg - Washingtonian

Loudoun County is the richest county in America. Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

According to the results of the 2011 American Community
Survey,

DC suburbs now make up seven of the ten richest counties in
America. Loudoun, Fairfax,
and Arlington are first, second, and third respectively, and
Maryland’s Howard and
Montgomery counties also made the list.

Interpreting these statistics might not be so simple, however. County-level median
income simply reveals a lack of lower-income families, possibly due to exclusionary
zoning. And figuring out the “why” behind the area’s affluence is even more complicated.
An ever-changing economy attracting more college graduates to move to and settle here
for work is one possible explanation, according to
New York Times writer
David Leonhardt.
What this means for the economy on a larger scale is probably best left to the experts.