In the book "The Millionaire Next Door," authors Thomas Stanley and William Danko studied Americans with a net worth of $1 million or more and found that affluence is much more attainable -- and may lurk much closer to home -- than we think. "More than 80% [of millionaires] are ordinary people who have accumulated their wealth in one generation," say Stanley and Danko. They also point out that the affluent tend to amass their wealth slowly and steadily and don’t necessarily live in the ritziest neighborhoods, drive the fanciest cars or bring home million-dollar paychecks.
Ever wonder how likely is it that your neighbor is worth a million bucks? Our city-by-city slide show reveals the ten places in the U.S. with the highest concentrations of millionaires. We weren’t interested in places where residents may be house-rich and cash-poor, so we looked only at households with a net worth of $1 million dollars or more, excluding the value of their primary residence. Our numbers come from market research firm TNS Financial Services. We also include a wealth snapshot of the top cities with the help of Sperling’s Best Places, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the National Association of Realtors. Take a look:
Compiled by Erin Burt
1. Los Alamos, N.M.
- Concentration of millionaire households: 20.4%
- 2005 median family income: $103,900
- 2005 median home price: $352,000
- Cost of living index: 128
This small desert town has fewer than 8,000 households, yet one in five has a net worth of more than a million bucks. This is home to the famed Los Alamos National Laboratory, which was founded to undertake the Manhattan Project and currently employs some of the government's highest-paid nuclear researchers.
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2. Naples/Marco Island, Fla.
- Concentration of millionaire households: 17.5%
- 2005 median family income: $63,200
- 2005 median home price: $781,900*
- Cost of living index: 202*
*The city of Naples only.
With plenty of waterfront properties, upscale shopping and the highest number of golf holes per capita than any other place in the U.S., the Naples area caters to those with relaxation on their minds -- and money in their bank accounts. Naples sports a large population of wealthy retirees along with well-heeled snow birds and other Floridians. It isn't uncommon for the area's residents to own two or three homes -- whether for their own private use or to rent out to vacationers -- significantly boosting their net worth.
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3. Bridgeport/Stamford/Norwalk, Conn.
- Concentration of millionaire households: 17.5%
- 2005 median family income: $91,200
- 2005 median home price: $482,400
- Cost of living index: 195*
*The city of Stamford only.
Only an hour northeast of New York City, this metro area forms a hotbed of corporate wealth. Not only do high-paid executives who commute to the city look to the Nutmeg State as a place to settle their families, but the Bridgeport/Stamford area is headquarters to several major companies including Xerox, Priceline.com, International Paper, Pitney Bowes and Subway Restaurants. The U.S. headquarters of Virgin Atlantic also calls this place home. As a result, nearly one in seven households have a net worth of at least $1 million.
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4. Vero Beach, Fla.
- Concentration of millionaire households: 13.9%
- 2005 median family income: $53,250
- 2005 median home price: $304,800
- Cost of living index: 119
Called the "Treasure Coast" for the riches washed up on its beaches centuries ago from shipwrecks, there's still plenty of wealth turning up in the Vero Beach area. With lower home prices than other Florida hotspots such as Miami and Palm Beach, this Atlantic Coast town on Florida's Indian River has been a Mecca for real estate investors looking to unearth riches of their own. Well-to-do retirees and families are also flocking to the area, making it one of the fastest-growing populations in the country.
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5. Hilton Head/Beaufort, S.C.
- Concentration of millionaire households: 13.4%
- 2005 median family income: $59,450
- 2005 median home price: $431,400*
- Cost of living index: 141*
*The city of Hilton Head.
A foot-shaped island off the Southern tip of South Carolina, Hilton Head has become one of the premiere resort towns in the U.S., but the area is also attracting a growing full-time population of affluent transplants from the northern states. The 42-square-mile island is home to 23 golf courses, 300 tennis courts, eight marinas and 12 miles of white sandy beaches -- making it a prime location for the affluent to settle into the good life.
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6. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Cal.
- Concentration of millionaire households: 13.2%
- 2005 median family income: $93,900
- 2005 median home price: $744,500
- Cost of living index: 187*
*The city of San Jose.
As the capital of Silicon Valley, San Jose and its environs house some of the most famous and cutting-edge tech companies in the world -- along with their highly-paid talent and executives. Hewlett-Packard, Apple Computer, Yahoo, Google, Intel and Sun Microsystems are just a few of the tech titans headquartered locally. The area is also ripe with innovative entrepreneurs. Millionaires abound.
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7. Easton, Md.
- Concentration of millionaire households: 13.2%
- 2005 median family income: $64,050
- 2005 median home price: $262,600
- Cost of living index: 109
This small enclave of 12,000 just across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on the Eastern Shore of Maryland prides itself on its out-of-the-way feel, with country farms mixing with lavish riverfront estates. It has long been a retreat for the well-to-do of the Mid-Atlantic. More recently, Easton has become popular with wealthy baby boomers looking to kick back and enjoy life at a slower pace. It's only 30 minutes from Annapolis and an hour and half from Washington, D.C., and Baltimore.
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8. Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice, Fla.
- Concentration of millionaire households: 12.7%
- 2005 median family income: $55,900
- 2005 median home price: $354,200
- Cost of living index: 110
Sarasota has a history of opulence. In 1910, Chicago socialite Bertha Palmer settled here, followed by several of her wealthy friends who build mansions of their own on Sarasota Bay. One of those transplants was John Ringling, who made Sarasota the winter headquarters for his famous circus and helped build Sarasota into Florida's cultural capital. The area houses several art museums and theaters, as well as its own symphony, ballet company and opera. Sarasota continues to attract affluence today -- about one in every eight households falls in the millionaire ranks.
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9. Washington, D.C. metro:
- Concentration of millionaire households: 12.6%
- 2005 median family income: $86,200
- 2005 median home price: $424,700
- Cost of living index: 137*
*City of Washington, D.C.
The D.C. metro area is a melting pot of moneymakers from nearly every industry. But despite stately neighborhoods such as Georgetown and upper Northwest, the city itself still harbors a large low-income population. The suburbs surrounding the city, however, give the area its millionaire boost as top-paid government workers, lobbyists, defense contractors and journalists settle in wealthy Maryland enclaves such as Chevy Chase and Bethesda, or across the Potomac River in Virginia’s Fairfax County. These suburbs are also home to several big businesses (and their deep-pocketed executives), including America Online, Sprint Nextel, Capital One and Lockheed Martin.
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10. Honolulu, Hawaii
- Concentration of millionaire households: 12.5%
- 2005 median family income: $67,750
- 2005 median home price: $590,000
- Cost of living index: 212
In the Hawaiian language, "honolulu" means "place of shelter." For years vacationers have flocked to the Pineapple State capital for a vacation. But today wealthy mainlanders are returning, in search of an island paradise where they can retire. More than 12% of the city's households are worth $1 million or more -- good thing, too, since the area is one of the most expensive places to live in the U.S..
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