Howard County Ranked 3rd Richest In Nation

ELLICOTT CITY, Md. (WJZ) ― A special honor for a Maryland County. Howard County is ranked the third richest county in the nation.

Weijia Jiang spoke with people who live there about the ranking.

People who live in Howard County say they certainly feel rich, but say the sense of wealth has little to do with money.

Anthony Lea can't imagine a better place to raise his 5 year old and toddler than Howard County.

"This place is a plethora of opportunities for such a wide range of backgrounds, government contractors, government agencies, it's like shooting fish in a barrel," Lea said.

It's not just the number of jobs here that's making national headlines. It's how much they pay. The American Community Survey ranks Howard County the third richest county in the country. Thirty percent of its employed population earns six figures.

"I can tell as far as retail goes, how people shop, how people go out to eat all the time," said Howard County resident Darius Miller.

"Great! That's good for us," said Michelle Dubreuil Macek, a Howard County resident. "Happy it just keeps bringing people here."

The county executive says this is the fourth year Howard County has earned the ranking, and he's not surprised.

"We have the highest percentage, in the top five, of people with post graduate degrees and graduate degrees in the country," said Howard County Executive Ken Ulman. "With a high level of educational attainment comes high paying jobs."

The Leas point to a thriving parks and recreation program, a strong school system and low crime rates as the best benefits of living in a wealthy area.

Nearby Montgomery, Calvert and Charles counties ranked sixth, ninth and tenth respectively. Loudoun and Fairfax counties in Virginia took the top two spots.

Earlier this year Money Magazine also rated Howard County the second best place in America to live.

Not only is it a rich and a great place to live, Howard County is also ranked the healthiest county in Maryland.