Washington, DC is the richest metro area in America

The Census Bureau is out today with an update on the metropolitan areas with the highest median incomes:

(Census)

Again, to be clear, these are metropolitan areas not municipalities. Washington, DC, is much less affluent than its suburban counties, like McLean, Virginia. But this highlights a fundamental problem in the American economy. The regions with the strongest economies where workers could benefit the most by moving, are generally the most expensive places to live with housing costs that price out the middle class.

Will you join us?

Our biggest supporters are our readers — and we’re so grateful to everyone who has made a contribution during our September campaign. We’re less than 1,000 contributions away from reaching our goal for the month, which in turn will allow us to say yes more often when our incredible journalists come to us with questions they want to answer and projects they want to pursue. Will you make a contribution before the month ends and support our policy coverage through 2024 and beyond?

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via