Data Study · 3 min read
Beyond the Median: High- and Low-Income Households in the 50 Largest US Metros
Published October 10, 2026 by the Demografics team
Median household income is the most quoted number in site selection, but two places with the same median can have very different customers. One may be dominated by middle-income households; another may combine many high earners with many low-income households. This study looks at the two ends of the distribution in the 50 largest US metros: households earning $125,000 or more, and households earning under $25,000.
San Jose–Sunnyvale, CA has the highest share of $125k+ households at 57.9%, followed by San Francisco–Oakland, CA (51.3%) and Washington–Arlington, DC-VA-MD-WV (48.1%). The highest shares of households under $25,000 are in New Orleans–Metairie, LA (21.6%), Memphis, TN-MS-AR (19.8%) and Cleveland–Elyria, OH (18.5%).
How we measured
Shares come from ACS table B19001 (household income in the past 12 months, in 2022 dollars). $125k+ combines the $125,000–$149,999, $150,000–$199,999 and $200,000-or-more brackets; under $25k combines the four brackets below $25,000.
| Metro area | $125k or more | Under $25k | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose–Sunnyvale, CA | 57.9% | 7.9% | $151,713 |
| San Francisco–Oakland, CA | 51.3% | 10.5% | $129,315 |
| Washington–Arlington, DC-VA-MD-WV | 48.1% | 8.8% | $119,803 |
| Boston–Cambridge, MA-NH | 43.3% | 12.6% | $107,117 |
| Seattle–Tacoma, WA | 42.3% | 9.7% | $107,206 |
| New York–Newark, NY-NJ-PA | 38.2% | 15.1% | $93,610 |
| San Diego–Chula Vista, CA | 38.0% | 11.7% | $96,974 |
| Denver–Aurora, CO | 37.6% | 10.1% | $96,920 |
| Baltimore–Columbia, MD | 36.9% | 12.9% | $94,167 |
| Minneapolis–St. Paul, MN-WI | 36.2% | 10.3% | $94,673 |
| Austin–Round Rock, TX | 35.9% | 11.0% | $92,939 |
| Raleigh–Cary, NC | 35.2% | 11.1% | $91,818 |
| Los Angeles–Long Beach, CA | 34.9% | 14.2% | $89,105 |
| Hartford–East Hartford, CT | 34.8% | 13.7% | $89,371 |
| Portland–Vancouver, OR-WA | 34.2% | 11.6% | $90,451 |
| Sacramento–Roseville, CA | 34.0% | 13.1% | $89,227 |
| Philadelphia–Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 33.2% | 14.7% | $85,555 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | 32.7% | 9.7% | $90,277 |
| Chicago–Naperville, IL-IN-WI | 32.5% | 14.2% | $85,087 |
| Dallas–Fort Worth, TX | 31.3% | 11.9% | $83,398 |
| Atlanta–Sandy Springs, GA | 30.8% | 12.7% | $82,625 |
| Providence–Warwick, RI-MA | 30.0% | 16.1% | $81,136 |
| Houston–The Woodlands, TX | 29.8% | 14.2% | $78,061 |
| Richmond, VA | 29.8% | 13.4% | $80,877 |
| Riverside–San Bernardino, CA | 29.2% | 13.5% | $81,041 |
| Phoenix–Mesa, AZ | 27.9% | 12.3% | $79,935 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 27.7% | 13.4% | $78,827 |
| Nashville–Davidson, TN | 27.6% | 12.7% | $79,020 |
| Charlotte–Concord, NC-SC | 27.6% | 13.6% | $76,177 |
| Columbus, OH | 27.3% | 13.8% | $76,541 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 27.0% | 15.5% | $76,247 |
| Virginia Beach–Norfolk, VA-NC | 26.7% | 13.6% | $77,082 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 26.6% | 14.6% | $75,316 |
| Detroit–Warren, MI | 26.0% | 16.6% | $72,456 |
| Milwaukee–Waukesha, WI | 25.6% | 15.7% | $72,937 |
| Indianapolis–Carmel, IN | 25.5% | 14.6% | $73,571 |
| Jacksonville, FL | 25.2% | 14.5% | $73,194 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 25.0% | 16.8% | $71,283 |
| Miami–Fort Lauderdale, FL | 24.6% | 17.6% | $69,085 |
| San Antonio–New Braunfels, TX | 24.0% | 15.7% | $70,910 |
| Orlando–Kissimmee, FL | 23.9% | 14.2% | $71,551 |
| Birmingham–Hoover, AL | 23.8% | 18.0% | $68,329 |
| Las Vegas–Henderson, NV | 23.3% | 16.0% | $69,911 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 22.9% | 15.8% | $69,771 |
| Tampa–St. Petersburg, FL | 22.8% | 16.6% | $67,197 |
| Buffalo–Cheektowaga, NY | 22.7% | 18.3% | $67,638 |
| Cleveland–Elyria, OH | 22.7% | 18.5% | $66,481 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 22.1% | 16.2% | $67,963 |
| New Orleans–Metairie, LA | 21.9% | 21.6% | $62,748 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 21.4% | 19.8% | $62,178 |
Polarized and middle-heavy metros
The median metro in this group has 28.5% of households earning $125,000 or more and 14.0% under $25,000. 6 metros are above the median on both, meaning they have many high earners and many low-income households at the same time: New York–Newark, NY-NJ-PA, Los Angeles–Long Beach, CA, Chicago–Naperville, IL-IN-WI, Houston–The Woodlands, TX, Philadelphia–Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD and Providence–Warwick, RI-MA. 6 are below the median on both, so their households are more concentrated in the middle brackets: Phoenix–Mesa, AZ, Charlotte–Concord, NC-SC, Kansas City, MO-KS, Columbus, OH, Nashville–Davidson, TN and Virginia Beach–Norfolk, VA-NC.
The share of $125k+ households tracks the median closely (correlation 0.99, a strong positive relationship), but the polarized metros show why the median alone is not enough: the same median can describe very different mixes of customers.
Why the distribution matters
- Premium concepts need enough high-income households nearby, not just a high median. Compare the $125k+ share between candidate areas.
- Value and discount concepts are typically sited where a large share of households earns under $50,000, even when the median looks average.
- Housing costs differ hugely between metros, so the same income buys very different lifestyles in different places. Compare like with like.
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
- Is Downtown Richer or Poorer Than the Metro? Income in 25 US Cities Compared
- Where Young Adults Live: The 18–34 Share in the 50 Largest US Metros and 25 Downtowns