The Richest and Poorest U.S. Counties

Richest Counties Surround D.C.—Poorest Line Mexico Border

Three of the richest counties in the United States are suburban communities surrounding Washington, D.C., while three of the poorest sit on the U.S.-Mexico border in southern Texas.

The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey for 2004 collected data from 236 of America’s 3,086 counties and then ranked the counties according to various criteria. Fairfax County, Va., Montgomery County, Md., and Howard County, Md., all suburbs of Washington, D.C., ranked 1, 2 and 4 respectively for highest median family income. Hidalgo County, Cameron County, and El Paso County, which all sit on the Rio Grande River in southern Texas, ranked 1, 2 and 4 respectively for the lowest median family income.

Is it only a coincidence that the border region of southern Texas is flooded with illegal immigrants, and the suburbs of Washington, D.C., are flooded with federal money, much of it paid to well-compensated federal
bureaucrats?