20 East Coast Cities Where the Upper Class Has Grown the Most in the Past 5 Years

Several East Coast cities in the United States have witnessed remarkable growth in their upper-class populations in a five-year span. From bustling metropolises to quaint coastal small towns, these cities have attracted affluent individuals and families due to various factors such as economic opportunities, quality of life and cultural amenities. It would seem that even during times of economic hardship, the upper-middle class is making advancements. 

These 20 East Coast cities have experienced significant growth in their upper social class populations over the past five years, driven by factors such as economic and job opportunities, cultural attractions, easy access to neighboring big cities and desirable living environments. Whether it’s the bustling streets of New York City or the small-town feel of St. Petersburg, Florida, affluent individuals and families have found compelling reasons to call these cities home, contributing to their ongoing prosperity and vibrancy.

Members of the upper class, which includes households with an income of over $150,000 for the sake of this study, consistently rank these cities as places they want to live and invest in. Many other Americans would consider these places ones they would wish to move to if their economic circumstances were to change.

• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2017: 47,118
• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2022: 83,368
• Change in upper-class income households in five years: 36,250

• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2017: 18,509
• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2022: 36,141
• Change in upper-class income households in five years: 17,632

• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2017: 68,384
• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2022: 110,209
• Change in upper-class income households in five years: 41,825

• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2017: 35,911
• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2022: 49,899
• Change in upper-class income households in five years: 13,988

• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2017: 22,816
• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2022: 42,522
• Change in upper-class income households in five years: 19,706

• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2017: 29,518
• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2022: 56,392
• Change in upper-class income households in five years: 26,874

• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2017: 21,805
• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2022: 39,719
• Change in upper-class income households in five years: 17,914

• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2017: 9,011
• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2022: 20,032
• Change in upper-class income households in five years: 11,021

• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2017: 496,500
• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2022: 807,570
• Change in upper-class income households in five years: 311,070

• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2017: 8,648
• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2022: 20,108
• Change in upper-class income households in five years: 11,460

• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2017: 17,965
• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2022: 31,570
• Change in upper-class income households in five years: 13,606

• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2017: 11,756
• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2022: 22,994
• Change in upper-class income households in five years: 11,238

• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2017: 12,355
• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2022: 28,107
• Change in upper-class income households in five years: 15,752

• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2017: 42,408
• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2022: 73,369
• Change in upper-class income households in five years: 30,961

• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2017: 42,572
• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2022: 92,278
• Change in upper-class income households in five years: 49,706

• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2017: 7,853
• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2022: 15,787
• Change in upper-class income households in five years: 7,934

• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2017: 11,729
• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2022: 20,858
• Change in upper-class income households in five years: 9,129

• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2017: 24,897
• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2022: 51,116
• Change in upper-class income households in five years: 26,219

• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2017: 21,821
• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2022: 36,590
• Change in upper-class income households in five years: 14,769

• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2017: 4,868
• Number of households with an income of $150,000 or more in 2022: 9,987
• Change in upper-class income households in five years: 5,119

Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed cities across the East Coast states of Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia, Vermont, and West Virginia for places the upper class has grown the most over the last five years. For this study, the upper class is considered households that earn a combined total of $150,000 or more. GOBankingRates first started by gathering the total number of households from 2017 and 2022 using the US Census American Community Survey S1901 from 2017 and 2022. Also collected from the US Census American Community Survey S1901 from 2017 and 2022 was the median household income, households with household income from $150,000 to $249,999, and households with income of $250,000 or more. The total percentage of households earning $150,000 or more was calculated and using the total households for each city the number of households that fall into the upper class range was found. The changes in upper class were found using the percentage of upper class in 2022 compared to 2017. The cities were sorted to show the places with the largest increase of upper-class households in the East Coast states. All data was collected on and is up to date as of April 22, 2024.