Data Study · 4 min read
Is Downtown Richer or Poorer Than the Metro? Income in 25 US Cities Compared
Published October 10, 2026 by the Demografics team
Metro-wide statistics are easy to find and often used as a shortcut when sizing a market. But a city's core can look very different from its metro. This study compares the median household income of residents within 3 miles of City Hall with the median household income of the whole metropolitan area, for the principal cities of the 25 largest US metros.
The result is close to an even split: in 12 cities the downtown trade area out-earns its metro, and in 13 it trails. The gap runs from +45% in New York, NY to -42% in Detroit, MI.
How we measured
Metro figures are the ACS 2018–2022 median household income for each metropolitan statistical area. Downtown figures cover every census tract within 3 miles of City Hall. Each downtown is measured from City Hall at its street address. Miami is measured from the Stephen P. Clark Government Center (111 NW 1st St) because Miami City Hall sits in Coconut Grove, outside the downtown core. Trade-area figures combine every 2020 census tract whose internal point lies inside the radius. Counts are summed; the median household income and median age of an area are household- and population-weighted averages of the tract medians, a standard approximation. ACS figures are survey estimates with margins of error, so small differences between places should not be over-read.
| City | Within 3 miles | Metro area | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $135,675 | $93,610 | +45% |
| Chicago, IL | $121,719 | $85,087 | +43% |
| Houston, TX | $102,832 | $78,061 | +32% |
| Charlotte, NC | $93,497 | $76,177 | +23% |
| Tampa, FL | $80,919 | $67,197 | +20% |
| San Francisco, CA | $152,120 | $129,315 | +18% |
| Orlando, FL | $80,921 | $71,551 | +13% |
| Seattle, WA | $117,010 | $107,206 | +9% |
| Washington, DC | $128,861 | $119,803 | +8% |
| Portland, OR | $95,389 | $90,451 | +5% |
| Atlanta, GA | $84,412 | $82,625 | +2% |
| Dallas, TX | $84,746 | $83,398 | +2% |
| Boston, MA | $106,389 | $107,117 | -1% |
| Miami, FL | $68,602 | $69,085 | -1% |
| Riverside, CA | $77,833 | $81,041 | -4% |
| Denver, CO | $92,500 | $96,920 | -5% |
| San Diego, CA | $91,894 | $96,974 | -5% |
| Philadelphia, PA | $76,216 | $85,555 | -11% |
| St. Louis, MO | $57,251 | $75,316 | -24% |
| Minneapolis, MN | $68,148 | $94,673 | -28% |
| Baltimore, MD | $66,906 | $94,167 | -29% |
| Phoenix, AZ | $55,779 | $79,935 | -30% |
| Los Angeles, CA | $58,055 | $89,105 | -35% |
| San Antonio, TX | $44,326 | $70,910 | -37% |
| Detroit, MI | $42,056 | $72,456 | -42% |
Does the answer depend on the radius?
Yes. Measured at 1 mile, 10 of the 25 downtowns out-earn their metro; at 5 miles, 11 do. In 9 cities (Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Orlando, Portland, Miami and Riverside) the answer flips depending on which radius is used.
| City | 1 mile | 5 miles | Metro | 1 mi vs metro | 5 mi vs metro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $149,364 | $117,861 | $93,610 | +60% | +26% |
| Dallas, TX | $94,359 | $85,712 | $83,398 | +13% | +3% |
| Houston, TX | $93,386 | $101,772 | $78,061 | +20% | +30% |
| Philadelphia, PA | $96,090 | $62,739 | $85,555 | +12% | -27% |
| Atlanta, GA | $47,772 | $86,653 | $82,625 | -42% | +5% |
| Boston, MA | $121,804 | $100,805 | $107,117 | +14% | -6% |
| Phoenix, AZ | $40,762 | $58,747 | $79,935 | -49% | -27% |
| San Francisco, CA | $98,710 | $146,070 | $129,315 | -24% | +13% |
| Detroit, MI | $66,530 | $40,048 | $72,456 | -8% | -45% |
| Seattle, WA | $95,694 | $119,999 | $107,206 | -11% | +12% |
| Minneapolis, MN | $77,576 | $81,760 | $94,673 | -18% | -14% |
| Tampa, FL | $90,155 | $81,218 | $67,197 | +34% | +21% |
| Baltimore, MD | $63,929 | $63,266 | $94,167 | -32% | -33% |
| St. Louis, MO | $56,290 | $52,011 | $75,316 | -25% | -31% |
| Orlando, FL | $78,581 | $68,699 | $71,551 | +10% | -4% |
| Charlotte, NC | $94,439 | $83,223 | $76,177 | +24% | +9% |
| San Antonio, TX | $29,134 | $50,295 | $70,910 | -59% | -29% |
| Portland, OR | $68,161 | $103,459 | $90,451 | -25% | +14% |
| Los Angeles, CA | $51,124 | $63,320 | $89,105 | -43% | -29% |
| Chicago, IL | $135,989 | $105,979 | $85,087 | +60% | +25% |
| Washington, DC | $115,675 | $118,116 | $119,803 | -3% | -1% |
| Miami, FL | $82,543 | $63,618 | $69,085 | +19% | -8% |
| Riverside, CA | $70,389 | $86,619 | $81,041 | -13% | +7% |
| San Diego, CA | $94,171 | $86,692 | $96,974 | -3% | -11% |
| Denver, CO | $82,493 | $92,401 | $96,920 | -15% | -5% |
Why cores differ
Downtowns that have added high-end apartments, condominiums and university or medical campuses in recent decades tend to show incomes at or above the metro level. Cores where older, lower-cost housing still dominates, or where public housing is concentrated near the center, tend to trail their suburbs. The data cannot say which explanation applies to a particular city, but the size of the gap is a useful warning against using metro averages for a central location.
Practical takeaways
- Never size a downtown store with metro-wide income figures; the error can be large in either direction.
- Expect income to vary within the 3-mile circle too. Look at the income brackets, not just the median, before deciding a location fits a price point.
- Remember that residents are only part of downtown demand: commuters, students and visitors are not in these figures.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2018–2022 (tables B01001, B01002, B01003, B11001, B19001, B19013, B25003, C24050).
- U.S. Census Bureau, TIGERweb 2020 census tract boundaries (used to find the tracts inside each trade radius).
More data studies
- Who Lives Within 3 Miles of Downtown? Census Profiles of 25 Major US Cities
- 1, 3 or 5 Miles? How a Trade Radius Changes the Picture in 25 US Downtowns
- Where Young Adults Live: The 18–34 Share in the 50 Largest US Metros and 25 Downtowns
- Renters vs Owners: Housing Tenure in the 50 Largest US Metros and Their Downtowns