Who Lives in the Most Expensive Suburbs in America?

Who Lives in the Most Expensive Suburbs in America?

The graph below shows which groups of workers can afford to live in the most expensive suburbs of America.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau data for 2009, median household income in the United States fell from $51,726 in 2008 to $50,221 in 2009. On the contrary, federal pay for civilian employees increased by 3.5% in 2008, by 3.9% in 2009, and by 2% in 2010; and the proposed increase for 2011 is 1.4%.

Overall, federal workers earned an average salary of $67,691 in 2008 for occupations that exist both in government and the private sector, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The average pay for the same mix of jobs in the private sector was $60,046 in 2008, the most recent data available.

According to the Cato Institute (May 2006), since 1990, average compensation has increased 115% in the government and 69% in the private sector, while average wages have increased 104% in the government and 65% in the private sector.

Federal government workers have notoriously earned more than — in many cases more than double — their private sector counterparts for a while. The shocking size and scope of pay increases for federal workers is most notable in recent years: from 2000 - 2008, the average federal worker's total compensation increased by 50%. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, since 2000, federal pay and benefits have increased 3% annually above inflation compared with 0.8% for private workers.

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis data for 2008, the average federal employee made $79,197, excluding benefits; when benefits were added in, the average federal employee's total compensation was $119,982. The average private sector employee made $49,935; when benefits were added in, the average private employee's total compensation was $59,909. Stated differently, the benefit cost for the average federal employee back in 2008 was $40,785; the average benefit cost for private sector employees for the same year was $9,974.

According to the USA TODAY analysis of Office of Personnel Management data, the number of federal workers earning salaries of $150,000 or more has increased tenfold over the past five years and has doubled since President Obama took office in January 2009.

While the rest of the U.S. economy remains stagnant, federal salaries have grown robustly in recent years. Government-wide raises for top-paid staff have increased in every department and agency.

The Defense Department had nine civilians earning $170,000 or more in 2005, 214 when Obama took office, and 994 in June.

The biggest pay hikes have gone to employees who have been with the government for 15 to 24 years. Since 2005, average salaries for this group climbed 25% compared with a 9% inflation rate.

Federal workers earning $150,000 or more now make up 3.9% of the country’s workforce, up from just 0.4% in 2005. Members of Congress earn $174,000, up from $141,300 in 2000, an increase below the rate of inflation.

Most Expensive Suburbs 2010

November 17, 2010

Bloomberg Businessweek - Suburbs generally provide a respite for young families and spacious dwellings for city professionals who prefer a quieter home life. Despite these broad similarities, a survey of high-end suburbs around the country shows they are not created equal -- in cost, that is, as expenditures vary greatly by state.

Take Maumelle, Ark., for example, the most expensive suburb outside of Little Rock, where the median home price is $191,000 and the average household spends $12,510 on transportation per year, according to data from real estate researcher Onboard Informatics.

Compare that with Scarsdale, N.Y., a suburb of Manhattan where the average home sells for nearly $1.2 million and household transportation costs can add up to about $32,000 per year. Businessweek.com worked with Onboard Informatics to identify the most expensive suburbs outside the largest cities -- those with populations over 250,000, or the most populous city in the state if none are so large.

The ranking is based on costs from housing and other nonretail expenditures to taxes and transportation costs. We define "suburb" as a Census place within 40 miles of city borders, including incorporated cities, towns, villages, and unincorporated areas. There are more than 25,000 places identified by the U.S. Census Bureau nationwide. We only surveyed places with populations larger than the state median.

The following are the most expensive suburbs in the 10 biggest states by median home price.

10 Most Expensive Suburbs by State

Most Expensive Suburb in California: Saratoga
Median home price: $1,405,000
Cost-of-living index: 222
Nonretail spending index: 223
Location: about 10 miles southwest of San Jose
Population: 30,287

A wealthy community incorporated in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains in 1956, the city of Saratoga has median household income of $151,733, according to Census data. Single-family detached homes begin at $432,000 to more than $6 million for a premier estate, according to the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce.

* Some expensive California towns did not have large enough populations to be included in the survey.

Most Expensive Suburb in New York: Scarsdale

Median home price: $1,177,500
Cost-of-living index: 311
Nonretail spending index: 316
Location: 27 miles from New York City and 3 miles from White Plains
Population: 17,787

In E.B. White's classic essay about New York City, "Here Is New York," he defines three types of New Yorkers -- commuters, natives, and those who relocated to seek dreams. For those in the first camp, swanky Scarsdale defines the suburban dream of the city's commuters. The town's mansions and gated communities mingle with upscale apartments and golf courses. Hence, the half-hour train ride from the concrete jungle setting of Grand Central Station is a return to trees, minivans, and lawn mowers.

Most Expensive Suburb in Illinois: Winnetka

Median home price: $1,026,000
Cost-of-living index: 309
Nonretail spending index: 312
Location: about 20 miles north of Chicago
Population: 12,039

The Village of Winnetka, a wealthy suburb of Chicago, has four beaches along Lake Michigan, numerous parks, athletic fields, an indoor tennis club, ice rink, and public golf course. Winnetka's median household income was $167,458 and per capita income was $84,134, according to 2000 Census data.

Most Expensive Suburb in Texas: Hunters Creek Village

Median home price: $865,500
Cost-of-living index: 334
Nonretail spending index: 337
Location: 9 miles west of Houston
Population: 4,819

Just north of the Houston Country Club is a suburb of quiet cul-de-sacs and dead-end roads with large homes.

Most Expensive Suburb in Ohio: The Village of Indian Hill

Median home price: $800,000
Cost-of-living index: 313
Nonretail spending index: 316
Location: 12 miles from Cincinnati
Population: 6,272

Ringed with nature preserves and parks, residents of the Village of Indian Hill pay handsomely for the feel of nature just 15 minutes from Cincinnati. Indeed, the village charter, listed on Indian Hill's website, states a goal of forming a green belt around the hill. The rural charm of the area is increased with local historical sites such as a red schoolhouse and a one-lane bridge that were both built in the late 1800s.

Most Expensive Suburb in Florida: Pinecrest

Median home price: $645,000
Cost-of-living index: 252
Nonretail spending index: 255
Location: about 15 miles south of Miami
Population: 18,478

The Village of Pinecrest, incorporated in 1996, is home to upscale gated communities and some of the most expensive real estate in South Florida ranging to more than $4 million, according to the website of Marie Story, a broker associate for Coldwell Banker.

Most Expensive Suburb in Pennsylvania: Radnor Township

Median home price: $512,600
Cost-of-living index: 324
Nonretail spending index: 328
Location: 19 miles northeast of Philadelphia
Population: 30,910

Located on Philadelphia's Main Line, Radnor Township hosts or is within a few miles of numerous nationally renowned institutions of higher education, including Villanova University, Bryn Mawr College, and Haverford College. (The term "Main Line" refers to the affluent towns that once were stops on the old Main Line of the Philadelphia Railroad.) It was settled by Quakers in the 1600s. Some of the country estates that still mark the area were subdivided for housing or, in the case of Villanova, converted into institutional or educational uses. Today, parks and golf courses dot the upscale town.

Most Expensive Suburb in Georgia: Dunwoody

Median home price: $305,000
Cost-of-living index: 156
Nonretail spending index: 157
Location: about 17 miles north of Atlanta
Population: 40,501

The City of Dunwoody, which was settled in the 1800s but only incorporated on Dec. 1, 2008, has a downtown commercial and shopping area in addition to the residential subdivisions, according to dunwoodygarealestate.net. Per capita income in 2008 was $50,951, according to Census data, and median household income was $90,355.

Most Expensive Suburb in Michigan: Bloomfield Township

Median home price: $224,977
Cost-of-living index: 214
Nonretail spending index: 216
Location: about 25 miles northwest of Detroit
Population: 40,141

The Township of Bloomfield in Oakland County is 26 square miles with rolling hills, winding roads, and lakes and streams. The median household income is one of the highest in the state: $117,880, according to Census figures.