The Most Successful City In Each State

What is success?

When you close your eyes and picture success, you probably see a lot of the traditional trappings: nice house, new car, a well-paying job, or maybe you picture walking across the stage at a college graduation. For better or worse, most people’s status revolves around their job and how much they have in their bank account. Of course, finances are heavily impacted by where you live.

It made us wonder: What are the most successful cities in each state? So, we decided for the second year running to measure the city best for success in each state.

Further down we explain how we quantified success and have a breakdown of all 50 states.

First, let’s check out the 10 most successful cities in the US.

If success is contagious, these are the 10 best cities to catch it. Your state not in the top? Scroll down to see where the most successful city in your state is.

Curious how your city didn’t (or didn’t!) get a spot in the hallowed top 10? Read on to see our process.

HOW WE MEASURED SUCCESS

We used data from the Census’ 2013-2017 American Community Survey PUMS dataset to pull data for cities in all 50 states.

Each city was then ranked in three categories:

Median income
Unemployment rate
Education rate (percent of residents over age of 25 with a bachelor’s degree)

Each city was ranked on a scale of 1 to the number of cities in each state. We then averaged the three areas to produce an individual index. The lower the score the better.
The top 10 was produced from among the 50 states. For example, because Glencoe, IL was number #1 for its state, no other city from Illinois could make the top 10.

Here is a detailed breakdown of the triumphant 10.

1. FLORIS, VA

Median income: $198,068
Unemployment rate:0.8%
Education rate: 83.1%
Floris is the #1 most successful city in the nation. The Virginian city is a suburb within an hour’s drive to the nation’s capital Washington, D.C, making it a great location for those who dig city living or rural life.

Floris was #2 last year, but jumped this year to the #1 spot.

With a median income just short of $200k and unemployment in decimals, it’s no surprise that Floris is topping the list.

2. Glencoe, IL

Median income: $203,235
Unemployment rate: 1.2%
Education rate: 86.8%

Another suburb of a large city, Glencoe comes in at #2.

The city may have dropped from last year’s crown spot, but life in Glencoe is still good. With a median income over $200k, we doubt any tears are being shed over the drop.

Glencoe is a prime location for those seeking proximity to Chicago with all the trappings of an affluent suburban life.

3. LADUE, MO

Median income: $203,250
Unemployment rate: 1.2%
Education rate: 83.1%
Ladue is another affluent suburb, just a hop away from a major city.

Ladue is just 30 minutes outside of St. Louis, one of the major centers of industry in the midwest.

With a high median income and a large percentage of highly educated adults, Ladue is the perfect home for commuters.

4. West University Place, TX

Source:Wikipedia User WhisperToMe

Median income: $243,226
Unemployment rate: 2.2%
Education rate: 86.5%
A thrown stone away from Houston, West University Place comes in at #4.

West University Place has the highest median income in the top 10, making it an especially sweet spot for success.

5. Cochituate, MA

Source:Wikipedia User John Phelan

Median income: $143,712
Unemployment rate: 1.4%
Education rate: 79.2%

The little town of Cochituate is a successful suburb of Boston.

A median income of $143,712, low unemployment of 1.4%, and a highly educated population, mean life is swell in Cochituate.

6. South Kensington, MD

Source: Wikipedia User Famartin

Median income: $160,303
Unemployment rate: 1.8%
Education rate: 77.9%

South Kensington is only 10 miles away from Washington, DC, making it the second DC suburb to make the list.

With a lower median income, South Kensington might be a great choice for those who can’t swing Floris.

7. The Village of Indian Hill, OH

Median income: $215,679
Unemployment rate: 2.6%
Education rate: 86.7%

Indian Hill is a prosperous Cincinnati suburb.

The word village gives you the right feel for Indian Hill, this cozy city has a small town feel that surely appeals to its residents.

8. Old Greenwich, CT

Source:Wikipedia User Jerry Dougherty

Median income: $236,250
Unemployment rate: 2.7%
Education rate: 79.1%
The New York city suburb offers its residents a dense suburban feel and more affordable cost of living than NYC.

Old Greenwich’s (mostly) working residents pull in $236,250 a year. That’s nice.

9. Forest Hills, TN

Source:Wikipedia User Skye Marthaler

Median income: $193,281
Unemployment rate: 2.7%
Education rate: 79.3%
If you like country music and success, Forest Hills is a great place to be.

Forest Hills’ residents enjoy a high quality of living and close proximity to the heart of Nashville.

10. Mill Valley, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Frank Schulenburg

Median income: $141,698
Unemployment rate: 2.3%
Education rate: 75.7%

Mill Valley is the perfect home for commuting into San Francisco. Only 14 miles and the Golden Gate Bridge away, a nice chunk of Mill Valley residents commute to the Bay City.

Regardless of which city they work in, on average, the highly educated residents are doing pretty good.

Summary Of Our Findings

There you have it- the ten most successful cities in the US. They all have one glaring thing in common, close proximity to a large metro area. If you want to “catch” success, living within sneezing distance of major city may give you an edge. Success is a complicated term and can’t only be summed up by career standing. However, residents of these cities have a nice income, education to weather economic circumstances, and low unemployment rates- which is a great place to be in for financial success.

Check out the full list below to see the most successful city in your state:

State	City	Median Income	Education Rate (%)
Alabama	Mountain Brook	$132,825	85
Alaska	Chena Ridge	$97,464	56
Arizona	Paradise Valley	$175,673	73
Arkansas	Bentonville	$79,259	50
California	Mill Valley	$141,698	76
Colorado	Cherry Hills Village	$238,750	81
Connecticut	Old Greenwich	$236,250	79
Delaware	North Star	$141,618	68
Florida	Pelican Bay	$127,361	69
Georgia	Druid Hills	$94,141	84
Hawaii	East Honolulu	$120,233	57
Idaho	Eagle	$81,909	45
Illinois	Glencoe	$203,235	87
Indiana	Zionsville	$127,152	70
Iowa	Waukee	$91,875	54
Kansas	Leawood	$151,446	76
Kentucky	Edgewood	$93,958	53
Louisiana	Oak Hills Place	$85,457	64
Maine	North Windham	$71,223	33
Maryland	South Kensington	$160,303	78
Massachusetts	Cochituate	$143,712	79
Michigan	Huntington Woods	$125,873	80
Minnesota	Medina	$138,125	63
Mississippi	Madison	$103,121	65
Missouri	Ladue	$203,250	83
Montana	Helena Valley West Central	$73,239	31
Nebraska	Gretna	$76,548	43
Nevada	Incline Village	$81,717	55
New Hampshire	Hanover	$97,422	82
New Jersey	Woodcliff Lake	$161,250	73
New Mexico	Los Alamos	$101,399	66
New York	Lawrence	$129,609	75
North Carolina	Weddington	$133,262	62
North Dakota	West Fargo	$76,925	40
Ohio	The Village of Indian Hill	$215,679	87
Oklahoma	Piedmont	$85,577	46
Oregon	Bull Mountain	$108,324	52
Pennsylvania	Upper St. Clair	$116,701	69
Rhode Island	Cumberland Hill	$83,168	38
South Carolina	Five Forks	$109,781	62
South Dakota	Harrisburg	$80,648	46
Tennessee	Forest Hills	$193,281	79
Texas	West University Place	$243,226	87
Utah	Park City	$104,182	65
Vermont	South Burlington	$66,197	54
Virginia	Floris	$198,068	83
Washington	Bothell East	$122,039	59
West Virginia	Cheat Lake	$87,125	53
Wisconsin	Fox Point	$118,281	76
Wyoming	Jackson	$75,406	50

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Author

Kathy Morris

Kathy is the head of content at Zippia with a knack for engaging audiences. Prior to joining Zippia, Kathy worked at Gateway Blend growing audiences across diverse brands. She graduated from Troy University with a degree in Social Science Education.

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