The Washington area’s affluence and education levels make it the wealthiest and most educated region in the nation, according to census data released Tuesday that reflect five years of relative prosperity compared with the rest of the country.
During that period, Fairfax and Loudoun were the only two U.S. counties with median household incomes surpassing $100,000. Tiny Falls Church, which is an independent city and counted separately, had that median income level, as well. Five of the region’s suburban counties – Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun, Montgomery and Howard – plus Alexandria and Falls Church, were among 17 places in the United States in which more than half of the residents have at least a bachelor’s degree.
In Loudoun, more than a third of the households are married couples with children, making it one of the country’s bastions of the traditional family. The District, Baltimore and Richmond reflected the other extreme, with nuclear families making up fewer than one in 10 households.
Full story: Washington area is wealthiest and most educated region in the nation, census data show