Just where are America’s richest ZIP codes?
If you’ve ever wondered where the United States’ richest ZIP codes are, we’ll give you a hint—45 of the top 50 are on either the East or West coasts.
It seems that the Northeast is in the top spot for ritzy ZIP codes, with Metropolitan New York being home to 24 of the top 50. Boston has five, Philadelphia houses two and suburban Washington is home to one. That gives the Northeast a grand total of 32 of the most affluent ZIPs in the country, according to research for Advertising Age’s American Demographics done by ESRI.
There are 201,799 households located in these top 50 ZIP areas, and they are home to 565,125 residents. These households averaged incomes of $294,000. The average household income in America is $67,572. The households in these plush neighborhoods had an average net worth of $1.2 million. That’s about three times the national average. The top-rated 10 ZIPs are all on the coasts.
And how did Beverly Hills famous 90210 ZIP rank? It came in only at No. 35, a reflection of the fact that the area is a mix of ritzy homes and some not-so-glamorous apartments. Of the 50 ZIPs, Beverly Hills ranked second lowest in median incomes, which begs the question: “Are the 90210 people only acting rich?”
Here are some fun facts about how the rich behave:
- They spend lots of money on luxury cars and home improvements.
- They attend more live theater than those who live in less affluent ZIPs.
- They watch a lot less prime time and they read lots more news magazines.
- They travel overseas a lot.
- They shop online twice as much as the rest of America.
- They’re four times as likely to listen to classical music on the radio.
—adapted from “Exploring America’s richest ZIP codes,” by Bradley Johnson, American Demographics in Advertising Age