John Lynch, Angela Rodriguez
·2 min read
San Luis Obispo County ranks among the nation’s richest counties, according to data compiled by the financial website SmartAsset.
SmartAsset’s Asset Allocation Calculator ranked SLO County’s overall wealth and median home value high both statewide and nationally, though median income lagged behind more than 200 other counties nationally.
California ranks among the U.S. Census Bureau’s top five states with the highest median incomes, even as 12.3% of residents reported living in poverty.
Here’s where the wealthiest and poorest California counties landed on SmartAsset’s ranking — and where San Luis Obispo County ranked among its neighbors.
SLO County ranks highly in overall wealth, but income lags behind
San Luis Obispo County’s overall wealth ranked 33rd nationally and 15th in the state of California, SmartAsset’s analysis found.
The site determined overall wealth by measuring three metrics: investment income, property value and median income.
The county’s home value ranked high nationally and compared to other California counties, with a median of $842,785 landing at 27th in the country and 11th in the state, SmartAsset data showed.
San Luis Obispo County’s median income of $82,514 was comparatively more moderate, ranking 216th nationally and 19th statewide, SmartAsset found.
For investment income, SLO County ranked 362nd nationwide and 19th in the state, at $39,579.
SLO County’s neighbors were very close in rank on overall wealth with Monterey 17th statewide and 40th in the nation and Santa Barbara 16th statewide and 34th in the nation.
San Mateo County ranked No. 1 for overall wealth, with a median income of $136,837, a median home value of $1,495,151 and investment income of $149,818.
The top four wealthiest counties in the country were in California with San Mateo followed by San Francisco, Santa Clara and Marin. Alameda was No. 9.
The poorest counties in California
On the flip side, wealth and income was far lower in California’s poorest counties.
Modoc County, located in the northeast corner of the state, was last in California for overall wealth, ranking 58th statewide and 1,481st in the nation with a median income of $51,090, which actually was only fourth from the bottom in the state.
The median home value in Modoc County was $186,103.
The poorest county in California by median income was Trinity County at $42,206.
See how all of California’s counties ranked at SmartAsset’s website.
