The ideal scenario for many Americans would be to work in a city that pays well but takes less time, both in terms of commute time and actual work hours. To determine whether such cities exist, GOBankingRates extracted data from the U.S. Census Bureau, starting with cities with at least 1,000 households and at least 5,000 populations.
The list was further refined by excluding cities with income less than 120% of the national median. Taking into account the “total hours worked,” including commuting time, we came up with a final list of 10 cities with the highest salaries and the best work-life balance. Here they are listed in reverse order.
10. McLean, Virginia
- Median household income: $242,610
- Amount Above National Median Income ($): $173,589
- Total working hours (regular working hours + travel time to work): 42.89
McLean is the largest town in the top 10, with a population of 28,932 aged between 16 and 64. But with so many people earning over $240,000 a year, it means there’s a lot of wealth out there.
The only reason McLean doesn’t rank high in this study is the fact that the total number of hours worked to make that money is higher than any of the top 10 cities.
9. Tamalpi Homestead Valley, California
- Median household income: $220,875
- Amount Above National Median Income ($): $151,854
- Total working hours (regular working hours + travel time to work): 40.99
Located just north of the San Francisco Peninsula across the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, the Tamalpai Homestead Valley is home to some of the world’s most sought-after real estate, including communities from Mill Valley, Tiburon to Sausalito. But it’s also blessed with unparalleled beauty, including the San Francisco Bay, sequoia forests such as Muir He Woods, and Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
8. Dan Rowling, Virginia
- Median household income: $222,292
- Amount Above National Median Income ($): $153,271
- Total working hours (regular working hours + travel time to work): 41
Tiny Dun Rowling is home to just 5,610 people aged 16 to 64 and boasts one of the highest median incomes in the country. The Washington, DC suburb is west of Arlington, across the Potomac River where many of its residents work.
7. Town and Country, Missouri
- Median household income: $211,429
- Amount Above National Median Income ($): $142,408
- Total working hours (regular working hours + travel time to work): 40
Town and country workers work what was long thought to be an “average” 40-hour week, which includes commuting. Salaries for residents during this time period are very high, earning 206.33% above the national average.
The St. Louis suburb has a rural feel and is said to be one of Missouri’s most livable places.
6. Wolf Trap, Virginia
- Median household income: $225,962
- Amount Above National Median Income ($): $156,941
- Total working hours (regular working hours + travel time to work): 40.78
Like its sister city, Dan Rowling, just 10 minutes away, the provocatively named Wolf Trap is a Washington, DC suburb located in wealthy Fairfax County. It is famous as the host city of the Filene Center, the country’s only national park for the performing arts.
I make slightly more than Dan Rowling, but I work just a little bit less total hours.
5. George Mason, Virginia
- Median household income: $129,167
- Amount Above National Median Income ($): $60,146
- Total working hours (regular working hours + travel time to work): 31.63
George Mason’s income is well below some of the highest income cities on this list, but still 87.14% above the national average. Considering that George Mason worked just over 31 total hours, the median household income is actually quite high.
Employment in this small city is dominated by the eponymous university.
4 Olinda, California
- Median household income: $248,984
- Amount Above National Median Income ($): $179,963
- Total working hours (regular working hours + travel time to work): 41.74
In terms of income, Olinda leads the way, with household incomes more than 260% higher than the national average. This semi-rural city is just 20 minutes from downtown San Francisco across the Bay Bridge, but many residents use Highway 24’s Caldecott Tunnel to shorten their commute.
3. South Hill, New York
- Median household income: $88,669
- Amount Above National Median Income ($): $19,648
- Total working hours (regular working hours + travel time to work): 27.42
South Hill is an outlier on this list. The city’s median household income is only 28% above the national average, but the average total hours worked is very low. So if you’re looking for a city that requires you to work less than 30 hours a week and still make close to $90,000 a year, this might be the place for you.
2. University Park, Texas
- Median household income: $247,045
- Amount Above National Median Income ($): $178,024
- Total working hours (regular working hours + travel time to work): 39.55
University Park is the richest small town in Texas and the fourth richest in the United States, according to GOBankingRates data. If your median household income approaches $250,000 and you work less than 40 hours a week, you’ll find plenty of good value for money in this enclave surrounded on three sides by Dallas.
1. Wellesley, Massachusetts
- Median household income: $226,250
- Amount Above National Median Income ($): $157,229
- Total working hours (regular working hours + travel time to work): 37.77
Topping the list is beautiful Wellesley, where residents work less than 38 hours a week to earn their generous salaries. The town itself attracts a large number of tourists due to its beautiful scenery and architecture. It also hosts, among other institutions of higher learning, the college of the same name that is world-renowned.
Methodology: To find the cities with the highest salaries and the best work-life balance, GOBankingRates collected a list of US cities. [1] median household income, [2] normal working hours and [3] It stands for commute time and is all taken from the US Census US Consumer Survey. Nationwide median household income is sourced from the US Census National Quickfacts and is used to determine how much median household income in a city is above or below national income. Shows cities that are used and have high salaries. Using the average normal working hours and the average weekly commute time, you can calculate the weekly time cost of how much time the average person in a city spends commuting to work or to work. To filter the results, only cities with more than 1,000 households, more than 5,000 population, and more than 20% more than the national median household income are displayed. Both these results and those for only the top 50 most populated US cities are shown to provide supplemental information. Both median household income above national median household income and total hours worked, including commuting time and usual working hours, were scored. Total hours worked were weighted by a factor of 1.5 and the two scores were combined and sorted to show the cities with the highest salaries and best work-life balance. All data collected and current as of July 13, 2023.
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