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Key Facts Median Household Income Towns
Northern Virginia is known for having communities with some of the highest median incomes in the United States, including the county with the highest in the nation. High median household incomes coincide with the large, thriving business community of the Northern Virginia region. While the median household income is high, we must recognize that there are segments of the community in need of assistance that live in this prosperous region of the country and that high housing costs offset the high income when it comes to standards of living and well-being.
About the Data and Data Interpretation
Median household income data is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau 2000 Decennial Census and the American Community Survey from 2006 to the present. All jurisdictions in the United States are included in the Decennial Census and five-year American Community Survey estimates, including incorporated towns. The American Community Survey is a survey with a small sample size. Areas with small populations typically have a large margin of error in the data due to the survey sample size being small, while this is less of an issue the larger the population. The margin of error is shown in the popup that is displayed when hovering over a bar in the bar charts. The ACS estimates for small places are deemed unreliable if the margin of error is large. In addition to the margin of error, the accuracy of the American Community Survey data for an area can be gaged by evaluating the trend. If there is a large increase or decrease in the estimate from one time period to the next, and the margin of error is large and overlaps other periods, then the large change between time periods is likely due to statistical sampling error and the data should be used with caution.
As seen in the population charts, as of 2020, 9 of the 14 incorporated towns in Northern Virginia had a population of less than 3,000, which is considered small. Due to the small size of many towns, the median household income data of towns should be used with caution and the margin of error in the median household income should be taken into consideration.
A place is considered statistically similar to its characteristics of past years/periods if the margin of error causes the low and high range of today's estimate to overlap with the past years/periods. If the figures overlap, it cannot be said for certain that a figure is different than the prior year/period, even though the middle of the road estimate may be higher or lower. Estimates are considered statistically different if the estimate range does not overlap.
Median Household Income - Current
The median household income of the counties, cities, and incorporated towns in Northern Virginia is shown in this graph. Loudoun County is the number one ranked county (county equivalent) for median household income in the nation. The towns of Hillsboro, Vienna, and Clifton have estimated median household incomes even greater than Loudoun County. All Northern Virginia counties, cities and town, except for two towns, have a median household income above Virginia or the United States. The incomes of Quantico and Dumfries are estimated to be below the United States, but are not statistically different from the United States based on the margins of error of the survey. The incomes of Quantico and Dumfries are estimated to be below Virginia and are statistically different from Virginia based on the margins of error of the survey.
Median Household Income - Historic Compared to Current
Due to the small size of many towns, the median household income of towns should be used with caution and the margin of error of the median household income should be taken into consideration. If there is a large increase or decrease in the estimate from one time period to the next, and the margin of error is large and overlaps other periods, then the large change between time periods is likely due to statistical sampling error and the data should be used with caution.