On the coattails of Loudoun’s newly reaffirmed title of highest median income in the nation have come many questions. The biggest: How can this be?
Earlier this month, Forbes Magazine named Loudoun the richest county in the nation with an annual median income of $110,643.
Contributors to this ranking include Loudoun’s high labor force participation rate – or ratio of residents who choose to work – plus a low unemployment rate and the high wages county residents bring in, said Loudoun County demographer Jill Allmon. Therefore, the county is home to many families where two or more people in the home are working.
In Loudoun, 66.4 percent of families have both the husband and wife in the workforce, compared to 61.8 percent in Fairfax County, Allmon said. The national percentage is unknown, she said.
Additionally, the prominent industries in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area – federal government, technology and health care – are high-wage jobs that are accessible to Loudoun residents, she said.
But those jobs aren’t accessible to everyone.
On one hand, Loudoun has a lot of residents who get paid a lot of money. But the county is also home to a lot of people who live below the median income. Those same citizens are also the average taxpayer, said Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling).
“There are the haves and the have-nots,” he said. “There is a fight for the middle class in Sterling.”
Bonnie Inman, executive director at Loudoun Interfaith Relief, said many families are living on the edge. “With the high cost of living,” she said, “they just weren’t able to make ends meet at all.”
Loudoun’s high cost of living has landed the county on another Forbes list – the highest property taxes in the South. On average, Loudoun residents pay $4,844 per household annually, compared to the national property tax average of $1,180. Additionally, the average purchase price on homes in Loudoun was $382,729 in January 2010. This makes for a mortgage or rent payment far above 35 percent of the county’s median salary, the percentage considered normal to spend on housing, Allmon said.
Loudoun has a housing mix that is fairly heavy on single-family detached homes, with many more such houses than in neighboring jurisdictions, Allmon said. Homeowner incomes must be higher for that type of housing, she said.
Before the recession hit, visitors to Loudoun Interfaith Relief’s pantry were those who just didn’t make enough money to live in such a high cost of living area, Inman said. But a higher unemployment rate caused a 43 percent increase for the pantry in fiscal year 2009.
In calendar year 2008, the pantry served 44,066 people. In 2009, that number soared to 66,072. In 2010, Inman expects to see that number jump another 60 percent to 70 percent.
“It’s a dichotomy of people who can afford to give to us and then there are people who have absolutely nothing,” Inman said.
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I think this is an indication that the Loudoun County economy is still very strong and vibrant,
I agree with on commenter here that with good hard labor is the key to success. If we don’t exert effort on our work we won’t have a good return.
Well, the more people working, the higher the taxes that the place is collecting. This means a win-win situation for both parties.
This is the place where motivation dwells. Progress is the air and labor is the bread.I believe every home here is as happy as 7th heaven.
A rich nation indeed and its wonderful to see. Unlike Zimbabwe which used to be the breadbasket of Africa, its now one of the poorest nations in the world, but it is still one of the best places in the world to visit.
Hard Labor indeed is the key to success.I certainly believe that if a man has goal in life,success is never a difficult thing to achieve.
Show ‘em what you got! This could be the theme of this county.He(county) really can make a move.Bravo!
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This is a great message for the other place who aim to belong to the line of the rich-known country.Take a look at the mirror and ask yourself,“what should I need to change and my next step is…”.You’ll see the difference.
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This county has a lot to offer,you name it and you have it. People here are the type of hard working and independent. Panorama that you can even make a wallpaper in it,just be a keen observer.
This goes with one of the sayings-“Small but Terrible”. Even from the smallest place like this county showed great opportunity to progress.
Aprender Ingles
Well their are maybe some of us who are in doubt why this county had become one of the richest. I have an answer to that—Hard Labor. No one prosper if nobody tried to work hard,and no will prosper if they always dwell in the thought that they can’t make it.
Where is the cost of living in these numbers? What good is a $100,000/yr salary when 1/3rd is taken by the Government, 1/3rd is taken by Food, Shelter, etc, and the rest gives you just enough to see a movie with popcorn from time to time?
Wealth is relative. Call me when the median house costs $100,000, not $300k-$400k.
Numbers can be deceiving… having the highest property taxes is a reflection of the larger size and values of the homes in Loudoun. Individuals should not confuse this with the tax rate for the county. How many counties in our area are dealing with the growth in Loudoun and the increasing demands that more residents place on our services. The money has to come from somewhere.
The list below shows the current tax rates for the various areas of Northern Virginia (all rates are per $100 of assessed value):
City of Alexandria $0.903
Arlington County $0.865 + $0.01 sanitary district fee
Town of Clifton $1.04 + $0.01 stormwater fee
City of Fairfax $0.88
Fairfax County$1.04 + $0.01 stormwater fee
City of Falls Church $1.07
Town of Herndon $1.30 + $0.01 stormwater fee
Loudoun County $1.245
City of Manassas $1.35
Manassas Park $1.65
Prince William County $1.212
Town of Vienna $1.2681 + $0.01 stormwater fee
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