America's Richest Congressional Districts – 2024 Study

Piggybacking U.S. Census counts, congressional redistricting in 2020 accounted for population changes in each state over the previous ten-year period. Still, day-to-day life may look very different in the richest and poorest congressional districts in America. While the latest IRS data puts the average household adjusted gross income (AGI) in the United States at $92,577, some congressional districts average up to five times that. And this can leave diverse footprints on the economies and politics of these areas.

With this in mind, SmartAsset ranked U.S. congressional districts based on the percent of tax returns with over $200,000 reported AGI.

Key Findings

• The average household AGI in California's 18th Congressional District is $476,000. Potentially due to its proximity to Silicon Valley, one-third of households in this district earn over $200,000 per year andnearly half of them (14.8%) make over $500,000 annually. This makes it the richest congressional district in the U.S.
• New York's richest congressional district earns an average of $327,500 per household. Situated in Manhattan, NY-12 is the fourth-richest across the nation. This district has 94,790 households earning over $200,000 annually, or 22.0% of returns. 33,810 of these households earn over $500,000.
• Florida's richest congressional district has an average AGI of $176,800. The 19th district, located in Southwest Florida, ranks 57th across the U.S., with 12.1% of households earning $200,000 or more, and 4.2% of households earning at least $500,000.
• 15.9% of households are high-earners in Texas's richest district. The third congressional district, situated in the northeast Dallas suburbs, has an average AGI of $133,841. A total of 71,270 households earn over $200,000 here, making it the richest district in Texas and 27th-richest across the U.S.

10 Richest Congressional Districts

Congressional districts across the U.S. are ranked by the highest percent of tax returns with an AGI of $200,000 or more.

1. California - 18th District (San Benito County and parts of Santa Clara and Monterey counties)

• Percent of households earning $200,000 or more: 33.5%
• Percent of households earning $200,000 to $500,000: 18.7%
• Percent of households earning $500,000+: 14.8%
• Average AGI of all households: $475,894
• Number of tax returns earning $200,000 to $500,000: 66,000
• Number of tax returns earning $500,000+: 52,320
• Total tax returns: 353,590

2. California - 17th District (Parts of Alameda and Santa Clara Counties)

• Percent of households earning $200,000 or more: 27.7%
• Percent of households earning $200,000 to $500,000: 19.0%
• Percent of households earning $500,000+: 8.7%
• Average AGI of all households: $201,128
• Number of tax returns earning $200,000 to $500,000: 71,010
• Number of tax returns earning $500,000+: 32,480
• Total tax returns: 374,220

3. California - 33rd District (Part of San Bernardino County)

• Percent of households earning $200,000 or more: 25.4%
• Percent of households earning $200,000 to $500,000: 16.3%
• Percent of households earning $500,000+: 9.1%
• Average AGI of all households: $312,437
• Number of tax returns earning $200,000 to $500,000: 58,760
• Number of tax returns earning $500,000+: 33,040
• Total tax returns: 361,570

4. New York - 12th District (Parts of Manhattan in New York City)

• Percent of households earning $200,000 or more: 22.0%
• Percent of households earning $200,000 to $500,000: 14.1%
• Percent of households earning $500,000+: 7.8%
• Average AGI of all households: $327,479
• Number of tax returns earning $200,000 to $500,000: 60,980
• Number of tax returns earning $500,000+: 33,810
• Total tax returns: 431,600

5. California - 12th District (Part of Alameda County)

• Percent of households earning $200,000 or more: 21.6%
• Percent of households earning $200,000 to $500,000: 14.5%
• Percent of households earning $500,000+: 7.1%
• Average AGI of all households: $259,868
• Number of tax returns earning $200,000 to $500,000: 56,360
• Number of tax returns earning $500,000+: 27,390
• Total tax returns: 387,640

6. California - 15th District (Parts of San Francisco and San Mateo Counties)

• Percent of households earning $200,000 or more: 21.1%
• Percent of households earning $200,000 to $500,000: 16.0%
• Percent of households earning $500,000+: 5.2%
• Average AGI of all households: $156,200
• Number of tax returns earning $200,000 to $500,000: 59,650
• Number of tax returns earning $500,000+: 19,360
• Total tax returns: 373,960

7. Virginia - 10th District (Rappahannock, Fauquier and Loudoun Counties, parts of Fairfax and Prince William Counties, and cities of Manassas and Manassas Park)

• Percent of households earning $200,000 or more: 20.6%
• Percent of households earning $200,000 to $500,000: 16.9%
• Percent of households earning $500,000+: 3.6%
• Average AGI of all households: $160,081
• Number of tax returns earning $200,000 to $500,000: 72,920
• Number of tax returns earning $500,000+: 15,680
• Total tax returns: 430,250

8. California - 14th District (Part of Alameda County)

• Percent of households earning $200,000 or more: 20.2%
• Percent of households earning $200,000 to $500,000: 13.6%
• Percent of households earning $500,000+: 6.6%
• Average AGI of all households: $210,272
• Number of tax returns earning $200,000 to $500,000: 49,930
• Number of tax returns earning $500,000+: 24,360
• Total tax returns: 367,540

9. New York - 10th District (Parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn in New York City)

• Percent of households earning $200,000 or more: 19.8%
• Percent of households earning $200,000 to $500,000: 12.2%
• Percent of households earning $500,000+: 7.6%
• Average AGI of all households: $325,341
• Number of tax returns earning $200,000 to $500,000: 47,520
• Number of tax returns earning $500,000+: 29,390
• Total tax returns: 388,540

10. Washington - 7th District (Part of King County)

• Percent of households earning $200,000 or more: 19.8%
• Percent of households earning $200,000 to $500,000: 14.8%
• Percent of households earning $500,000+: 5.0%
• Average AGI of all households: $179,004
• Number of tax returns earning $200,000 to $500,000: 62,340
• Number of tax returns earning $500,000+: 20,950
• Total tax returns: 420,820

Data and Methodology

To determine the richest congressional districts, SmartAsset examined the latest IRS data available (2021 tax year). Rich households are defined as those with adjusted gross incomes of $200,000 or more, which the IRS deems as the threshold for "high earners". The average AGI for all households, as well as the share of households earning over $500,000, was also examined.

Questions about our study? Contact us at press@smartasset.com

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