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Mapped: How Household Income Varies Across Major U.S. Metros
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Key Takeaways
- San Jose has the highest median household income among major U.S. metros at $175,491, more than double the figure in several lower-ranked metros.
- The national median household income is $85,828 as of March 2026.
- Many of the highest-income metros are concentrated in California and the Northeast, reflecting the strength of sectors like technology, finance, and government.
Salaries are often like real estate: it’s all about location, location, location. For proof, just look at how much households make each year in the biggest metros of the United States.
This map lists the median household income of the 50 most populous metropolitan areas in the U.S. using March 2026 model-estimated data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Home Ownership Affordability Monitor (HOAM).
Using figures drawn from Census American Community Survey (ACS) data nowcasted to March 2026, the national U.S. median household income is $85,828.
High Earnings on the Coast
Households have the highest median incomes in coastal metros, particularly in California. The highest earners in the country are found in San Jose ($175,491) and nearby San Francisco ($141,277), both of which form part of Silicon Valley.
This area is buoyed by high tech salaries and many dual-income, college-educated households, all of which drive up median incomes for the area.
The following data table lists U.S. metros based on their median household income.
| Rank | Metro | Median Household Income (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose, CA | $175,491 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $141,277 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $130,587 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $125,025 |
| 5 | San Diego, CA | $115,012 |
| 6 | Seattle, WA | $114,804 |
| 7 | Denver, CO | $112,231 |
| 8 | Raleigh, NC | $107,446 |
| 9 | Portland, OR | $104,269 |
| 10 | Salt Lake City, UT | $104,059 |
| 11 | Sacramento, CA | $103,447 |
| 12 | New York, NY | $103,166 |
| 13 | Baltimore, MD | $102,578 |
| 14 | Austin, TX | $101,583 |
| 15 | Los Angeles, CA | $101,268 |
| 16 | Minneapolis, MN | $101,123 |
| 17 | Hartford, CT | $98,059 |
| 18 | Dallas, TX | $97,808 |
| 19 | Atlanta, GA | $96,651 |
| 20 | Riverside, CA | $95,039 |
| 21 | Philadelphia, PA | $94,766 |
| 22 | Phoenix, AZ | $93,845 |
| 23 | Chicago, IL | $93,572 |
| 24 | Nashville, TN | $92,333 |
| 25 | Charlotte, NC | $91,059 |
| 26 | Kansas City, MO | $88,033 |
| 27 | Columbus, OH | $87,273 |
| 28 | Virginia Beach, VA | $86,046 |
| 29 | Orlando, FL | $84,866 |
| 30 | Jacksonville, FL | $84,841 |
| 31 | Miami, FL | $84,814 |
| 32 | Houston, TX | $84,610 |
| 33 | Cincinnati, OH | $84,546 |
| 34 | St. Louis, MO | $84,425 |
| 35 | Las Vegas, NV | $83,859 |
| 36 | Richmond, VA | $83,637 |
| 37 | Tampa, FL | $82,721 |
| 38 | Providence, RI | $82,527 |
| 39 | San Antonio, TX | $82,130 |
| 40 | Pittsburgh, PA | $81,967 |
| 41 | Indianapolis, IN | $81,718 |
| 42 | Milwaukee, WI | $80,485 |
| 43 | Birmingham, AL | $79,463 |
| 44 | Detroit, MI | $79,294 |
| 45 | Louisville, KY | $77,221 |
| 46 | Oklahoma City, OK | $76,960 |
| 47 | Cleveland, OH | $76,118 |
| 48 | Buffalo, NY | $74,258 |
| 49 | Memphis, TN | $70,056 |
| 50 | New Orleans, LA | $65,021 |
| — | United States | $85,828 |
Other coastal cities see similar trends as the Bay Area, including Boston ($125,025), San Diego ($115,012), and even the nation’s capital of Washington, D.C. ($130,587).
In each of these cities, productive and diverse economic sectors like technology, government, and finance blend with above-average education levels to bolster median household income.
The Bigger the Paycheck, The Bigger the Bill
However, it’s not all smooth sailing in these high-income areas. Higher incomes tend to correlate with higher costs for everything from housing to gas to dining and other amenities.
In the nice neighborhoods of New York, which has a median household income of $103,166, a $20 cocktail is standard while gym memberships can run in the hundreds each month.
And the biggest expense around, housing, can mean that high-earning professionals still see their paychecks eaten up by multi-thousand-dollar rent or mortgage payments. The situation is not much better in similar coastal cities like Los Angeles ($101,268) or Seattle ($114,804).
Lower Incomes and Lower Costs
On the other end of the spectrum are cities like Buffalo ($74,258), Memphis ($70,056), and New Orleans ($65,021). These cities all have median household incomes below the national average.
These smaller cities, which see less housing demand and in many cases have faced decades of deindustrialization, tend to have far less concentration of world-class tech and finance talent. They are instead reliant on legacy industries such as construction, manufacturing, and retail.
However, these cities’ lower salaries are often offset by lower housing and everyday costs than in Boston, New York, or the Bay Area.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
Wondering about the impact of housing in all these metros? Check out This Chart Shows the Decline of Housing Affordability in the U.S. on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.