These 2 affluent Houston suburbs are among the wealthiest in America

A new household income study by GoBankingRates found that America’s wealthy are moving away from big, well-known cities like Los Angeles and New York City in favor of smaller suburbs, such as West University Square And Bellaire in Houston – which were among the wealthiest American suburbs in 2024.

West University Place tops the list as the third-wealthiest suburb in the country, according to the report, with the third-highest average household income of the 50 cities studied. A West University household earns an average of $403,845 per year, and the value of a typical home in the suburb is more than $1.6 million.

There’s plenty to enjoy in the area, like the Colonial Park Pool, West University Place Recreation Center, and 10 beautiful parks and playgrounds. West U. is close to many new local restaurants, like Trattoria and pizzeria Magdalena And Maximboth of which opened earlier in 2024.

West University also celebrated its centennial earlier this year, hosting a festival in May and publishing a special book to commemorate the city’s history. Read CultureMap columnist and West University resident Ken Hoffman’s thoughts on the city here.

Bellaire ranks lower on the list, at No. 25, with the average household earning $294,605 ​​per year. The report says the city’s typical home is worth nearly $1.08 million. The popular family-friendly city has 14 parks, including the popular five-acre Evelyn Park, with its butterfly wall, art lawn, wildflower hill, walking trails, wide-open spaces and Betsya casual restaurant from the owners of Adair Kitchen.

According to The Evelyn’s Park Conservancy, the park was originally home to Bellaire’s first business, Teas Nursery, which closed in 2009. After its closure, local philanthropists Jerry and Maury Rubenstein took action to preserve the land for the city.

“The couple purchased and donated the five-acre site to the City of Bellaire, under simple conditions: that it be used as a park and that it be named in honor of their mother, Evelyn, a longtime Bellaire resident and philanthropist who shared the Teas’ love of the outdoors and the simple things that make it beautiful,” the park’s conservation organization’s website states.

Elsewhere in Texas

West U. wasn’t the only Texas suburb to earn a spot in the top 10. University Park in Dallas ranked No. 6, and Southlake (located between Dallas and Fort Worth) fell outside the top 10 at No. 13.

The report found that the average household income in University Park is $381,235 per year and the average home is valued at more than $2.3 million. In Southlake, the average household income is more than $360,000 per year and the average home is valued at more than $1.24 million.

The 10 wealthiest suburbs in America are:

• No. 1 – Scarsdale, New York-Newark-Jersey City, New York-New Jersey
• No. 2 – Rye, New York-Newark-Jersey City, New York-New Jersey
• No. 3 – West University Place, Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas
• No. 4 – Los Altos, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California
• No. 5 – Paradise Valley, Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, Arizona
• No. 6 – University Park, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
• No. 7 – Hinsdale, Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Illinois
• No. 8 – Great Falls, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-Virginia-Maryland
• No. 9 – Orinda, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, California
• No. 10 – Wellesley, Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Massachusetts

GoBankingRates looked at every city in the United States with at least 5,000 households and ranked them based on the highest median household income. The report provided additional details, such as the metropolitan area the cities are in, as well as the typical home value in each city in 2024.

The full report and its methodology can be viewed at gobankingrates.com.