This Party Represents the Wealthiest US Congressional Districts, Study Finds
Money and politics have become inseparable in America, with elections and campaigns more expensive than ever. Super PACs, although barred from coordinating with politicians directly, can help raise millions of dollars for a campaign and singlehandedly sway the outcome of an election.
GOBankingRates explored the connection between politics and money in a new analysis that determined the wealthiest congressional districts in the U.S. The report analyzed all 435 congressional districts in the nation, using income data sourced from the Census Bureau’s 2016 American Community Survey.
Keep reading to find out where the richest congressional districts are in America — and which party represents them.
Top 10 Wealthiest Congressional Districts in the US
California, New Jersey, New York and Virginia dominated the top 10 wealthiest congressional districts. Out of the wealthiest 50 districts, 13 are located in California; 8 are in New York; 5 in New Jersey; and 4 in Virginia. Massachusetts, which didn’t make the top 10, still sports four of the nation’s richest congressional districts.
Here are the 10 richest congressional districts in the U.S. by median household income:
Congressional District 10, Virginia: $116,069 | Republican
Congressional District 18, California: $112,702 | Democrat
Congressional District 17, California: $107,946 | Democrat
Congressional District 11, Virginia: $105,024 | Democrat
Congressional District 7, New Jersey: $104,987 | Republican
Congressional District 3, New York: $104,805 | Democrat
Congressional District 11, New Jersey: $103,419 | Republican
Congressional District 8, Virginia: $100,649 | Democrat
Congressional District 33, California: $99,902 | Democrat
Congressional District 8, Maryland: $97,663 | Democrat
Virginia’s 10th Congressional District is the wealthiest in the country and is represented by the Republican Party. This sprawling district in Northern Virginia is home to some towns well-known for their affluence. According to the Census Bureau, Great Falls boasts a median household income of $230,304. McLean isn’t too shabby either at $190,258. Republican Barbara Comstock represents the district.
California’s 17th and 18th districts can be found in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 17th District includes Cupertino, Fremont, Santa Clara, San Jose and Sunnyvale, places that are well-known for surging home values and tech industry wealth. The same goes for the 18th District, which covers Mountain View, Palo Alto, Redwood City and Santa Cruz. California’s 33rd District is in Southern California and stretches from Malibu in the northwest to Ranchos Palos Verdes in the southeast, covering all the wealthiest parts of Los Angeles.
Look: You’re Probably Richer Than These Members of Congress
List of the Richest Congressional Districts in the US
Among the top 10 richest congressional districts, Democrats represent seven versus three for Republicans. Out of the 50 richest districts, Democrats have 28 to Republicans’ 21. Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District is vacant and thus has no party representing it.
Check out the 50 wealthiest congressional districts in the nation:
State | District | Median Household Income | Representative | Party | |||
1 | VA | 10th | $116,069 | Barbara Comstock | Republican | ||
2 | CA | 18th | $112,702 | Anna Eshoo | Democrat | ||
3 | CA | 17th | $107,946 | Ro Khanna | Democrat | ||
4 | VA | 11th | $105,024 | Gerald Connolly | Democrat | ||
5 | NJ | 7th | $104,987 | Leonard Lance | Republican | ||
6 | NY | 3rd | $104,805 | Thomas Suozzi | Democrat | ||
7 | NJ | 11th | $103,419 | Rodney Frelinghuysen | Republican | ||
8 | VA | 8th | $100,649 | Donald Beyer | Democrat | ||
9 | CA | 33rd | $99,902 | Ted Lieu | Democrat | ||
10 | MD | 8th | $97,663 | Jamie Raskin | Democrat | ||
11 | CA | 15th | $97,232 | Eric Swalwell | Democrat | ||
12 | NY | 4th | $96,078 | Kathleen Rice | Democrat | ||
13 | NJ | 5th | $95,701 | Josh Gottheimer | Democrat | ||
14 | CA | 45th | $93,995 | Mimi Walters | Republican | ||
15 | IL | 6th | $93,839 | Peter Roskam | Republican | ||
16 | CA | 14th | $93,666 | Jackie Speier | Democrat | ||
17 | NY | 12th | $93,559 | Carolyn Maloney | Democrat | ||
18 | MD | 5th | $92,295 | Steny Hoyer | Democrat | ||
19 | NY | 17th | $91,734 | Nita Lowey | Democrat | ||
20 | MA | 4th | $91,203 | Joseph Kennedy III | Democrat | ||
21 | NY | 2nd | $90,614 | Peter King | Republican | ||
22 | TX | 22nd | $90,194 | Pete Olson | Republican | ||
23 | CT | 4th | $90,142 | James Himes | Democrat | ||
24 | CA | 12th | $88,364 | Nancy Pelosi | Democrat | ||
25 | NY | 1st | $88,242 | Lee Zeldin | Republican | ||
26 | TX | 3rd | $86,783 | Mac Thornberry | Republican | ||
27 | IL | 14th | $86,449 | Randy Hultgren | Republican | ||
28 | MA | 5th | $86,416 | Katherine Clark | Democrat | ||
29 | CA | 52th | $86,174 | Scott Peters | Democrat | ||
30 | WA | 1st | $85,293 | Suzan DelBene | Democrat | ||
31 | CA | 19th | $85,010 | Zoe Lofgren | Democrat | ||
32 | CA | 48th | $83,894 | Dana Rohrabacher | Republican | ||
33 | PA | 7th | $82,483 | Vacant | N/A | ||
34 | GA | 6th | $82,390 | Karen Handel | Republican | ||
35 | NY | 10th | $81,814 | Jerrold Nadler | Democrat | ||
36 | MN | 3rd | $81,804 | Erik Paulsen | Republican | ||
37 | MA | 6th | $81,711 | Seth Moulton | Democrat | ||
38 | TX | 26th | $81,425 | Michael Burgess | Republican | ||
39 | NJ | 12th | $81,115 | Bonnie Watson Coleman | Democrat | ||
40 | MD | 3rd | $81,032 | John Sarbanes | Democrat | ||
41 | CA | 39th | $80,844 | Edward “Ed” Royce | Republican | ||
42 | VA | 1st | $80,492 | Robert Wittman | Republican | ||
43 | PA | 8th | $79,615 | Brian Fitzpatrick | Republican | ||
44 | NY | 18th | $79,539 | Sean Maloney | Democrat | ||
45 | MA | 8th | $78,995 | Stephen Lynch | Democrat | ||
46 | CA | 11th | $78,487 | Mark DeSaulnier | Democrat | ||
47 | NJ | 4th | $77,685 | Christopher “Chris” Smith | Republican | ||
48 | PA | 6th | $77,580 | Ryan Costello | Republican | ||
49 | CA | 49th | $77,558 | Darrell Issa | Republican | ||
50 | MN | 2nd | $77,468 | Jason Lewis | Republican | ||
Click through to read about the states that spend the most and least on welfare.
More on Net Worths
Methodology: The study analyzed every congressional district in all 50 states, determining the wealthiest congressional districts based on the highest median household income, sourced from the Census Bureau’s 2016 American Community Survey. The mean household income was included in our data for representational purposes. Information on representatives and political parties was sourced from GovTrack.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: This Party Represents the Wealthiest US Congressional Districts, Study Finds
