Life & Culture

26.2% of Texas residents live in affluent zip codes, study finds

By Bethany Blankley

February 09, 2021

The share of Texas residents living in prosperous zip codes stands at 26.2%, the 23rd highest percentage among the 50 states and District of Columbia, according to a study from the advocacy organization Economic Innovation Group.

Nationwide, the total number of people living in prosperous zip codes now represents a plurality of Americans, 82.4 million, the group’s Distressed Communities Index report found. Those affluent zip codes added 8.7 million jobs between 2000 and 2018, which amounts to 62% of the U.S. job gains over the same time period, according to the report.

At the same time, the affluent zip codes in the nation’s urban areas saw population growth of about 100%. The western United States has the greatest share of people – 53.4% – living in prosperous zip codes, the study found.

Despite the share of racial minorities residing in affluent zip codes rising from 16.3% to 26.9% from 2000 to 2018, minority populations remain over-represented in poorer, distressed zip codes, the report said.

Share of State Populations Living in Affluent Zip Codes

Rank State % of Residents Living in Affluent Zip Codes
1 New Hampshire 47.5%
2 Colorado 47.0%
3 Utah 46.4%
4 Minnesota 46.3%
5 Massachusetts 42.5%
6 Washington 40.0%
7 Wisconsin 38.4%
8 Nevada 34.7%
9 New Jersey 33.9%
10 Nebraska 33.6%
11 Delaware 33.4%
12 Virginia 32.2%
13 Maryland 30.0%
14 Idaho 29.5%
15 Connecticut 29.2%
16 Michigan 28.8%
17 Arizona 28.1%
18 (tie) Maine 28.0%
18 (tie) Vermont 28.0%
20 Kansas 27.2%
21 Oregon 26.7%
22 Hawaii 26.5%
23 Texas 26.2%
24 South Dakota 26.1%
25 Iowa 25.7%
26 California 25.6%
27 Illinois 25.3%
28 Pennsylvania 25.0%
29 (tie) Missouri 24.6%
29 (tie) Montana 24.6%
31 Ohio 23.6%
32 North Dakota 22.8%
33 Georgia 22.2%
34 Florida 22.0%
35 South Carolina 21.7%
36 North Carolina 20.2%
37 Indiana 20.1%
38 District of Columbia 19.3%
39 Oklahoma 18.8%
40 New York 18.6%
41 Alaska 18.5%
42 Tennessee 17.9%
43 Wyoming 17.6%
44 Rhode Island 17.4%
45 Kentucky 15.0%
46 Alabama 13.0%
47 Arkansas 12.5%
48 New Mexico 12.3%
49 Mississippi 5.9%
50 Louisiana 4.0%
51 West Virginia 3.3%

Source: Economic Innovation Group