20 Best West Coast Cities for Rich Young People To Live

To be young and wealthy is great. To live on America’s beautiful West Coast? Even better. Where, though, are the best places on the West Coast for the young and wealthy to settle down? That’s a question GOBankingRates recently sought to answer.

To do so, GOBankingRates consulted the U.S. Census Bureau to find which West Coast cities contain a large portion of people in the 25-to-44 age bracket that also make at least $150,000 or more annually. GOBankingRates then cross-referenced those locations with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) 2024 Offenses Known to Law Enforcement database to find the cities with the lowest violent crime and property crime rates. Combining that information, we determined the 20 best West Coast cities for rich young people to live.

• Washington leads the top 20: The Evergreen State holds 10 of the top 20 best West Coast cities for the rich and young to settle down in, while Oregon and California have five each.
• Mountain View, California, has the most wealth: Washington has the most cities in the top 20, but Mountain View, California, is the West Coast city that hosts the most wealth among the young — 34% of homeowners there are between the ages of 25 to 44 and have a household income of $150,000 or more.
• Sammamish, Washington, is the safest: Of all the West Coast cities listed, Sammamish, Washington, has the lowest violent crime rates.

• % of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 28.7%
• Livability: 87
• Property crime rate (per 1,000): 5.4
• Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.3

• % of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 29.2%
• Livability: 88
• Property crime rate (per 1,000): 10.7
• Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.5

• % of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 24.9%
• Livability: 87
• Property crime rate (per 1,000): 15.7
• Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.1

• % of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 33.3%
• Livability: 88
• Property crime rate (per 1,000): 27.4
• Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.3

• % of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 33.5%
• Livability: 85
• Property crime rate (per 1,000): 19.2
• Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.5

• % of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 20.8%
• Livability: 87
• Property crime rate (per 1,000): 11.1
• Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.9

• % of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 15.4%
• Livability: 87
• Property crime rate (per 1,000): 10.0
• Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.0

• % of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 13.4%
• Livability: 92
• Property crime rate (per 1,000): 15.2
• Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.3

• % of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 20.8%
• Livability: 86
• Property crime rate (per 1,000): 10.1
• Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.7

• % of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 13.4%
• Livability: 90
• Property crime rate (per 1,000): 10.4
• Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.8

• % of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 34.0%
• Livability: 85
• Property crime rate (per 1,000): 27.7
• Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 3.1

• % of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 22.5%
• Livability: 86
• Property crime rate (per 1,000): 14.7
• Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.1

• % of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 26.2%
• Livability: 87
• Property crime rate (per 1,000): 33.4
• Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.4

• % of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 22.5%
• Livability: 85
• Property crime rate (per 1,000): 10.7
• Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.8

• % of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 13.1%
• Livability: 91
• Property crime rate (per 1,000): 15.3
• Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.9

• % of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 14.7%
• Livability: 86
• Property crime rate (per 1,000): 7.8
• Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.6

• % of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 25.6%
• Livability: 85
• Property crime rate (per 1,000): 29.9
• Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.8

• % of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 16.4%
• Livability: 88
• Property crime rate (per 1,000): 15.3
• Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.6

• % of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 12.3%
• Livability: 88
• Property crime rate (per 1,000): 14.2
• Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.6

• % of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 6.0%
• Livability: 90
• Property crime rate (per 1,000): 9.7
• Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.7

Editor’s note: Photos are for representational purposes only and might not reflect the exact locations listed.

Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed cities in America to find the best places to live for the young and wealthy. First GOBankingRates used data from the U.S. Census 2023 five-year American Community Survey to find the total population, population ages 25 to 44, median household income, total households, householders aged 25 to 44 and householders aged 25 to 44 with household income of $150K or more. The percentage of householders aged 25 to 44 when compared to all households was calculated. The percentage of householders aged 25 to 44 with household income of $150K or more when compared to all householders aged 25 to 44 was calculated for each city. Property crime and violent crime data was sourced from the FBI’s 2024 Offenses Known to Law Enforcement and used to calculated the crime rates per 1000 residents. The livability index was sourced from AreaVibes for each city. The cost-of-living indexes were sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces and using the national average expenditure costs for 25 to 44 year olds, as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, the average expenditure cost can be calculated for each city. The average single-family home value was sourced from Zillow Home Value Index. By assuming a 10% down payment and using the national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate, as sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data, the average mortgage can be calculated for each city. Using the average mortgage and expenditure costs, the total cost of living can be calculated for each city. To qualify for this study the city has to have all data sources available and have a livability of at least 85, representing the higher-quality-of-life locations. The percentage of householders aged 25 to 44 when compared to all householders was scored and weighted at 2.00, the percentage of householders aged 25 to 44 with household income of $150K when compared to all householders aged 25 to 44 was scored and weighted at 2.00, the livability was scored and weighted at 2.00, the property crime rate per 1000 was scored and weighted at 1.50 and the violent crime rate per 1000 was scored and weighted at 1.50. All the scores were summed and sorted to show the best places for the young and wealthy to live. All data is up to date as of Dec. 8, 2025.