DC edges Silicon Valley

[phk]

Federal employees whose compensation averages more than $126,000 and the nation’s greatest concentration of lawyers helped Washington edge out San Jose as the wealthiest U.S. metropolitan area, government data show.

The U.S. capital has swapped top spots with Silicon Valley, according to recent Census Bureau figures, with the typical household in the Washington metro area earning $84,523 last year. The national median income for 2010 was $50,046.

....


Still, household income fell even in Washington by 0.8 percent last year from $85,168. In the San Jose area, home to Cupertino-based Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) in San Jose, income dropped to $83,944 from $84,483 in 2009.

Median income in both metro areas has been falling since 2008, when it reached a record in each place. The 4.7 percent drop in Silicon Valley during that period was three times larger than the Washington region’s 1.5 percent fall.

EDIT: Forgot the link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-19/beltway-earnings-make-u-s-capital-richer-than-silicon-valley.html

[All Along The Watchtower]

Battle of the liberal elites.

(no sarcasm).

[phk]

Battle of the liberal elites.

(no sarcasm).

The Top 1%

[All Along The Watchtower]

Battle of the liberal elites.

(no sarcasm).

The Top 1%

Time to march on Facebook.

[Sbane]

If you look at the Bay Area as a whole, not just Santa Clara county, the DC area would be easily more wealthy. Presumably this is just looking at the MSA? I really don't get why the Bay Area isn't put in the same MSA, but excluding Santa Cruz and Napa. 

[Torie]

The thing is, is that federal employees tend to be worth what they are paid ...  in rather dramatic contrast to the situation with state and local public employees. So I can't get  exercised about this much.

[Хahar 🤔]

If you look at the Bay Area as a whole, not just Santa Clara county, the DC area would be easily more wealthy. Presumably this is just looking at the MSA? I really don't get why the Bay Area isn't put in the same MSA, but excluding Santa Cruz and Napa. 

The answer is that the Census Bureau is strange. Apparently Fremont is in the same metropolitan area as Santa Rosa but not the same one as San Jose.

[Sbane]

If you look at the Bay Area as a whole, not just Santa Clara county, the DC area would be easily more wealthy. Presumably this is just looking at the MSA? I really don't get why the Bay Area isn't put in the same MSA, but excluding Santa Cruz and Napa. 

The answer is that the Census Bureau is strange. Apparently Fremont is in the same metropolitan area as Santa Rosa but not the same one as San Jose.

Or Redwood City or Menlo Park.

[milhouse24]

Even if DC is so wealthy, then why is there so much crime in DC? 

[Beet]

1. The DC area is more than just DC. It is also southern Maryland and northern Virginia.
2. The DC area is highly polarized with very wealthy right next to very poor, as is typical for strongly Democratic urban centers.
3. The DC area also has the country's most educated workforce.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The Washington metropolitan area includes some of the richest places on Earth.

[milhouse24]

1. The DC area is more than just DC. It is also southern Maryland and northern Virginia.
2. The DC area is highly polarized with very wealthy right next to very poor, as is typical for strongly Democratic urban centers.
3. The DC area also has the country's most educated workforce.

But it doesn't make sense that there would be poor people in DC if the jobs pay so much.  Meaning, it should be easy for poor people to find jobs and get a good education just by being around a well-educated population.

[Beet]

1. The DC area is more than just DC. It is also southern Maryland and northern Virginia.
2. The DC area is highly polarized with very wealthy right next to very poor, as is typical for strongly Democratic urban centers.
3. The DC area also has the country's most educated workforce.

But it doesn't make sense that there would be poor people in DC if the jobs pay so much.  Meaning, it should be easy for poor people to find jobs and get a good education just by being around a well-educated population.

No.

(Gentrification is more likely to drive out the poor than lift them up)

[Filuwaúrdjan]

1. The DC area is more than just DC. It is also southern Maryland and northern Virginia.
2. The DC area is highly polarized with very wealthy right next to very poor, as is typical for strongly Democratic urban centers.
3. The DC area also has the country's most educated workforce.

But it doesn't make sense that there would be poor people in DC if the jobs pay so much.  Meaning, it should be easy for poor people to find jobs and get a good education just by being around a well-educated population.

No.

Indeed. Would that things actually worked like that...