5 Southern Cities Where the Upper Class Is Getting Richer

Whether you have plans to retire in the South or relocate there for a more affordable lifestyle, there are five Southern cities worth keeping on your radar for financial purposes. Key findings from a recent GOBankingRates study indicate that these five cities are where members of the upper class are building their wealth.

GOBankingRates analyzed the top 50 cities where the upper class is getting richer and pulled cities in Southern states from the ranking.

Here are the five Southern cities where the upper class is getting richer.

• % change in households with incomes of $200K+ (2020 to 2023): 17.9%
• % change in household median income (2020 to 2023): 25.2%
• $ change in household median income (2020 to 2023): $38,482
• Household median income (2023): $191,128
• Household median income (2020): $152,646

• % change in households with incomes of $200K+ (2020 to 2023): 18%
• % change in household median income (2020 to 2023): 19.5%
• $ change in household median income (2020 to 2023): $29,230
• Household median income (2023): $179,063
• Household median income (2020): $149,833

• % change in households with incomes of $200K+ (2020 to 2023): 18.6%
• % change in household median income (2020 to 2023): 18.1%
• $ change in household median income (2020 to 2023): $25,064
• Household median income (2023): $163,662
• Household median income (2020): $138,598

• % change in households with incomes of $200K+ (2020 to 2023): 14%
• % change in household median income (2020 to 2023): 25.3%
• $ change in household median income (2020 to 2023): $40,464
• Household median income (2023): $200,156
• Household median income (2020): $159,692

• % change in households with incomes of $200K+ (2020 to 2023): 15%
• % change in household median income (2020 to 2023): 22%
• $ change in household median income (2020 to 2023): $33,826
• Household median income (2023): $187,603
• Household median income (2020): $153,777

Methodology: For this piece, GOBankingRates first took the 71 cities with the highest mean household income and with a minimum of 8,000 total households and at least $162,000 in household median income (sourced from the U.S. Census 2023 American Community Survey). GOBankingRates then found each city’s (1) 2020 median household income; (2) 2023 median household income; (3) three-year percent change in median household income; (4) 2020 percent of population with a household income of $200,000+; (5) 2023 percent of population with a household income of $200,000+; (6) three-year percent change in population with a household income of $200,000+. Factors (3) and (6) were then scored and combined. All data was collected on and is up to date as of March 7, 2025.