Want To Live in One of These Exploding East Coast Suburbs? Here’s the Salary You Need

Living in the suburbs is typically a lot cheaper than residing in the city proper. You can cut costs while still enjoying a comfortable lifestyle. GOBankingRates conducted a study to find the 50 fastest-growing suburbs in America and how much income each metro area requires. Among those were 19 East Coast suburbs.

Some of the apparent population growth is a result of the U.S. Census Bureau redefining some Census Designated Places. All boundary data is based on 2023. See more about the methodology at the end of this gallery.

Also see the wealthiest suburbs in America.

• Population increase %: 77.6%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $121,572
• Household median income: $127,537
• Total cost of living annually: $60,786 
• Average home value: $527,953

• Population increase %: 65.4%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $105,272
• Household median income: $92,258
• Total cost of living annually: $52,636
• Average home value: $380,076

• Population increase %: 49.9%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $134,366
• Household median income: $128,115
• Total cost of living annually: $67,183
• Average home value: $604,211

• Population increase %: 45.7%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $116,973
• Household median income: $113,130
• Total cost of living annually: $58,487
• Average home value: $463,947

• Population increase %: 40.4%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $132,730
• Household median income: $138,442
• Total cost of living annually: $66,365
• Average home value: $612,709

• Population increase %: 38.4%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $116,267
• Household median income: $88,592
• Total cost of living annually: $58,133
• Average home value: $473,259

• Population increase %: 38%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $97,195
• Household median income: $73,348
• Total cost of living annually: $48,598
• Average home value: $364,940

• Population increase %: 35.4%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $97,515
• Household median income: $71,012
• Total cost of living annually: $48,757
• Average home value: $330,225

• Population increase %: 34.2%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $111,951
• Household median income: $79,789
• Total cost of living annually: $55,975
• Average home value: $431,786

• Population increase %: 31.3%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $152,479
• Household median income: $88,474
• Total cost of living annually: $76,239
• Average home value: $693,544

• Population increase %: 30.7%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $109,419
• Household median income: $107,004
• Total cost of living annually: $54,709
• Average home value: $420,097

• Population increase %: 30.3%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $128,187
• Household median income: $132,435
• Total cost of living annually: $64,093
• Average home value: $578,214

• Population increase %: 30.3%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $86,409
• Household median income: $47,635
• Total cost of living annually: $43,205
• Average home value: $248,507

• Population increase %: 28.1%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $97,402
• Household median income: $76,402
• Total cost of living annually: $48,701
• Average home value: $331,571

• Population increase %: 28%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $87,863
• Household median income: $47,506
• Total cost of living annually: $43,932
• Average home value: $291,225

• Population increase %: 27.6%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $119,076
• Household median income: $135,412
• Total cost of living annually: $59,538
• Average home value: $494,247

• Population increase %: 27.5%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $123,056
• Household median income: $81,642
• Total cost of living annually: $61,528
• Average home value: $506,325

• Population increase %: 27.5%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $120,895
• Household median income: $120,777
• Total cost of living annually: $60,448
• Average home value: $519,208

• Population increase %: 26.2%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $108,487
• Household median income: $76,196
• Total cost of living annually: $54,243
• Average home value: $405,506

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

Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates found suburbs with 2023 populations between 20,000 and 100,000. Metro areas with at least 1 million people were kept for this study. GOBankingRates then found total population for 2023, total population for 2018 and household median income from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. The percentage change in population from 2018 to 2023 was then calculated. The highest percentage changes were selected to represent the fastest-growing suburbs. The cost of living was sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces and include the grocery, healthcare, housing, utilities, transportation and miscellaneous indexes. Using data fom the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, the average expenditure cost for each location was calculated. The average home value was sourced from Zillow Home Value Index for February 2025 and average mortgage was calculated using Federal Reserve Economic Data. Cost of living then was calculated. All data was collected on and is up to date as of March 24, 2025.