New York City has long been considered the playground of America's millionaires and billionaires. But as many of the city's high earners start families and seek more space, they move out to the suburbs surrounding the city.
Stephen Higley, a professor emeritus of urban social geography at the University of Montevallo, recently ranked the richest neighborhoods in the U.S. based on American Community Survey 2006 - 2010 data.
He aggregated contiguous block groups (subdivisions of Census tracts) with a mean income over $200,000. You can read his complete methodology here.
These are the wealthiest neighborhoods in the suburbs outside of New York City — Westchester County, Long Island, Connecticut, and New Jersey.
#25 Talmadge Hill in New Canaan, Conn.
Mean household income: $381,648
75th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
Talmadge Hill is made up of relatively large homes, and is considered a great neighborhood for families in New Canaan. The school system is also considered top-notch.
Talmadge Hill is 0.3% Black, 3.2% Asian, 1.5% Latino and 93.9% Non-Hispanic White.
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#24 Sunny Ridge-Highfield in Harrison, N.Y., Westchester County
Mean household income: $382,054
74th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
Sunny Ridge-Highfield is part of the southern half of Harrison, N.Y., and is the home of Harrison High School.
A big part of the culture in town is an annual football game between Harrison and Rye high schools. The friendly rivalry between the towns dates back to the end of the 17th century. According to local lore, John Harrison purchased a plot of land from the Siwanoy Native Americans that two residents of the neighboring town of Rye had already claimed.
Sunny Ridge-Highfield is 90.7% white, 2.2% Asian, 4.2% Latino, 0.5% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#23 Oyster Bay Cove in Long Island, N.Y.
Mean household income: $385,230
68th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
The village of Oyster Bay Cove was founded in 1931. Many of its current residents make a living in jobs involving computers and math. Italian, Irish and Russian ancestries are common.
The area is known for its wildlife, and is less congested than other places on Long Island. It sits next to Sagamore Hill in Cove Neck, which was the home of Theodore Roosevelt from 1885 until his death.
Oyster Bay Cove is 86.9% white, 8.5% Asian, 2.2% Latino, 1.5% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#22 Fox Meadow-Greenacres in Scarsdale, N.Y., Westchester County
Mean household income: $387,493
66th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
Scarsdale forms part of the northern suburbs of New York City. Caleb Heathcote purchased the land for the town at the end of the 17th century and it was officially founded in 1788.
Liza Minelli graduated from Scarsdale High School, and Beyonce and Jay-Z had their marriage license issued in the town.
Fox Meadow-Greenacres is 79.1% white, 12.7% Asian, 3.9% Latino, 1.5% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#21 The Stanwich Club-Conyers Farm in Greenwich, Conn.
Mean household income: $388,282
65th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
Greenwich, Conn. has always played home to some of America's richest families. Conyers Farm was developed in the town on 1,500 acres in the 1980s. It's an exclusive luxury estate development.
The community features private roads, a private lake, acres of woods, and horse riding paths.
The Stanwich Club-Conyers Farm is 86.4% white, 7.8% Asian, 3.6% Latino, 1.2% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#20 Pine Hill in New Canaan, Conn.
Mean household income: $390,583
63rd richest neighborhood in the U.S.
New Canaan was established in 1731 and had been a largely agricultural community until the Revolutionary War. After the war, shoemaking was the predominant industry.
Since railroads came to the area in the mid-19th century, the area has largely played home to some of New York City's wealthiest executives.
Pine Hill is 92.8% white, 2.7% Asian, 2.4% Latino, 0.2% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#19 The Heights and The West End in Ridgewood, N.J.
Mean household income: $396,574
58th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
The first home in Ridgewood was built on 250 acres in 1700, while the village was officially formed at the end of the 19th century. It sits 20 miles northwest of Midtown Manhattan.
CBS correspondent Bill Geist and actor Frankie Muniz were both born in Ridgewood.
The Heights and The West End are 86.4% white, 7.3% Asian, 3.3% Latino, 0.5% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#18 Larchmont Manor in Larchmont, N.Y., Westchester County
Mean household income: $397,279
57th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
Larchmont is a village about 18 miles northeast of Midtown Manhattan. Originally inhabited by the Algonquian tribe, the Dutch moved there in the early 17th century. The area's oldest home is the Manor House on Elm Avenue, built in 1797.
Water recreation is huge in the area. There's a yacht club that has been hosting a race week for nearly 120 years, and a shore club that hosts an annual swim across the Long Island Sound.
Larchmont Manor is 92.2% white, 2.4% Asian, 3.1% Latino, 0.5% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#17 Brookville in Long Island, N.Y.
Mean household income: $400,113
52nd richest neighborhood in the U.S.
Most of the pioneers in the early village of Brookville were English and Quaker. The Dutch moved in from western Long Island later. Dozens of estates on the one-time farmland make the neighborhood part of Nassau County's North Shore Gold Coast.
It was originally called Tappentown after a prominent family, but became Brookville after the Civil War.
Brookville is 71.7% white, 10.1% Asian, 6.3% Latino, 10.7% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#16 West Englewood in Teaneck, N.J.
Mean household income: $403,360
49th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
Teaneck has a colonial history. It features a historic site commemorating George Washington and the Continental Army's retreat from the British troops across the Hackensack River in 1776.
The neighborhood currently has a diverse population including large Jewish and African American populations. In 1964, Teaneck became the first community in the nation to voluntarily desegregate its public schools.
Hunting Valley is 90.1% white, 1.5% Asian, 3.1% Latino, 4.2% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#15 Sands Point in Long Island, N.Y.
Mean household income: $404,670
47th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
A village on the northernmost tip of the North Shore of Long Island, Sands Point was incorporated in 1910. Originally only three families owned the area: the Sands, the Vanderbilts and the Cornwalls.
In the 1960s, dozens of homes popped up on one-acre lots, while current zoning laws call for homes built on no fewer than two acres.
Sands Point is 84.7% white, 8.2% Asian, 4.7% Latino, 0.7% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#14 Rumson Central in Rumson, N.J.
Mean household income: $406,932
46th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
English settlers purchased the land that became known as Rumson, N.J., in the 17th century. The town was officially formed in 1907 and took its name from what Native Americans used to call the area: Navarumsunk.
The neighborhood is known for its early 20th century estates. Some of the largest properties started as summer homes for New York's wealthiest families, who had passed the places through their ranks for at least 100 years before the town became a more year round neighborhood. Today plenty of those homes still go by those old family names.
Rumson Central is 92.5% white, 1.5% Asian, 2.1% Latino, 0.3% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#13 North Castle, N.Y. in Westchester County
Mean household income: $408,545
43rd richest neighborhood in the U.S.
North Castle was a rural area before it became suburban in the years immediately following World War II. It's currently made up of three hamlets.
Many residents have at least a master's degree, and executive jobs are common. A lot of people with Italian, Irish and Russian ancestry live here.
North Castle is 88.0% white, 4.6% Asian, 4.4% Latino, 1.3% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#12 Clapboard Hill-Marvin Ridge in New Canaan, Conn.
Mean household income: $409,895
42nd richest neighborhood in the U.S.
Large, single-family homes make up the only available real estate in the Clapboard Hill-Marvin Ridge region of New Canaan, Conn. Residents in this neighborhood are in the top 15% of earners in America, and most of them drive to work.
Clapboard Hill-Marvin Ridge is 90.3% white, 2.9% Asian, 2.6% Latino, 1.3% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#11 Canoe Hill-Brushy Ridge in New Canaan, Conn.
Mean household income: $426,143
38th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
Irish, Italian and English ancestry are common in this executive-filled neighborhood of Connecticut.
Lewis Lapham, a founder of Texaco and great-grandfather of Harper's Magazine editor Lewis H. Lapham, spent summers in New Canaan.
The area was largely a summer destination until the late 19th century when residents started settling year-round.
Canoe Hill-Brushy Ridge is 93.1% white, 2.6% Asian, 2.5% Latino, 0.3% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#10 Coleytown in Westport, Conn.
Mean household income: $426,556
36th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
Westport is a coastal town with colonial origins. Coleytown sits at the northernmost edge of town. Most homes date back to the 1950s, with some as old as the '30s.
The area has a higher proportion of married couples living there than most other U.S. neighborhoods.
Coleytown is 91.7% white, 3.1% Asian, 2.7% Latino, 0.9% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#9 North Darien in Darien, Conn.
Mean household income: $431,428
35th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
Darien, Conn., is almost exclusively a commuter town with two Metro-North stations linking it with Grand Central Station in New York City.
The town has a handful of parks, two public beaches on Long Island Sound, four country clubs, two yacht clubs and a hunt club.
North Darien is 92.4% white, 2.9% Asian, 3.0% Latino, 0.6% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#8 Westchester Country Club in Harrison, N.Y., Westchester County
Mean household income: $433,383
34th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
NeighborhoodScout ranked this region of Harrison a best choice for New Yorkers seeking the executive lifestyle. The neighborhood has one of the largest Russian and Lithuanian ancestry populations out of all neighborhoods in the country. Italian and Irish are also popular ancestry groups in the area.
Westchester Country Club is 90.8% white, 4.6% Asian, 2.7% Latino, 0.9% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#7 Country Club of New Canaan-Pinneys Corners in New Canaan, Conn.
Mean household income: $438,343
32nd richest neighborhood in the U.S.
Pinneys Corners is a family-filled neighborhood in New Canaan. The area has a history of residents with Scottish and Slovak ancestry moving there.
A significant number of people living there work in a home office if they don't commute. Most residents have executive or management jobs.
CC of New Canaan-Pinneys Corners is 92.8% white, 2.9% Asian, 2.0% Latino, 0.5% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#6 Sterling Ridge in Harrison, N.Y., Westchester County
Mean household income: $454,965
28th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
Sterling Ridge forms part of the downtown southern half of Harrison, N.Y. The area is known for its Tudor and colonial estates on one- to two-acre lots.
Roads in the area take winding contours and nearly every home sits within walking distance of the local high school.
Sterling Ridge is 91.7% white, 2.6% Asian, 2.6% Latino, 1.4% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#5 Purchase in Harrison, N.Y., Westchester County
Mean household income: $464,955
25th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
Purchase is a more rural area in the town of Harrison. It features winding roads and lots of wooded areas.
National corporations like MasterCard and PepsiCo have established their headquarters in Purchase along I-287, which is known as "Platinum Mile."
In the 1970s, some residents in Purchase pushed for the neighborhood to secede from Harrison and become its own village over concerns about overdevelopment. But the plan did not come to fruition.
Purchase is 87.4% white, 3.4% Asian, 4.9% Latino, 2.0% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#4 Round Hill-North Greenwich in Greenwich, Conn.
Mean household income: $510,848
16th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
Round Hill joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1996 with a district school that dates back to 1750, among other early structures.
North Greenwich and Round Hill play home to a lot of financiers and hedge fund managers who work either in downtown Greenwich, where many firms have headquarters, or Manhattan.
The town of Greenwich, the municipality that sits farthest southwest in Connecticut, was established in 1640 by the British daughter-in-law of John Winthrop, the Massachusetts colony founder.
Round Hill-North Greenwich is 97.5% white, 0.0% Asian, 2.4% Latino, 0.1% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#3 Murray Hill - Heathcote in Scarsdale, N.Y., Westchester County
Mean household income: $516,671
14th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
Scarsdale was officially founded in 1788 and played a big enough part in the American Revolution for James Fennimore Cooper to base his novel "The Spy" on the colonial town.
Heathcote is a neighborhood named for a railroad station that was named for local landowner Caleb Heathcote.
Famous residents of Scarsdale have included Susan Lucci, Linda McCartney, and Liza Minelli.
Murray Hill-Heathcote is 83.8% white, 8.6% Asian, 3.6% Latino, 2.0% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#2 Greenhaven in Rye, N.Y., Westchester County
Mean household income: $540,403
10th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
The pristine Greenhaven section of Rye, N.Y., has two beaches. It sits just south of Greenwich, Conn., along the Long Island Sound. Rye has 14 miles of coastline.
The quaint village of Greenhaven features mostly Tudors and colonial-style homes. It's also known for its rigorous school system; school taxes are about 23% higher here than for the rest of Rye.
Greenhaven is 88.5% white, 4.3% Asian, 4.8% Latino, 0.9% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#1 The Golden Triangle in Greenwich, Conn.
Mean household income: $614,242
Richest neighborhood in the U.S.
The Golden Triangle refers roughly to homes in the mid-country section of the city of Greenwich, Conn., which encompasses nearly two-thirds of the town's geography.
One- and two-acre lots are most common. The remarkable amount of open space compared to the rest of Greenwich comes from preservation efforts led by the Greenwich Land Trust and other conservation organizations.
In addition to palatial estates, the area is known for various waterways, winding country roads, forests, meadows and gorges carved by past glaciers.
The Golden Triangle is 87.3% white, 7.4% Asian, 2.5% Latino, 1.9% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
How do the NYC suburbs stack up?
The 25 richest neighborhoods in America »
Paige Cooperstein Writer Paige Cooperstein formerly wrote culture and lifestyle features. She received her master’s in arts journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. While not working, Paige holes herself up to watch TV marathons. She streamed seven years of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in two months. Read more Read lessncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyztcKhnKysXaOyqrPHm6aroJ%2BksbR5wKumrqaUYrumw4yypqujXZi2tcWMa2dqbF1o