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Berkshire Town Cracks Top 100 'Wealthy' ZIP Codes
Boston Business Journal's quest to find where the wealthy live in the Bay State has resulted in its latest data collection of income and housing values in the state's 490 ZIP codes. Using information from the Department of Revenue, BBJ's identified the toniest ZIP codes, and the not-so tony.
Using income and other demographic data provided by Esri, a California-based provider of database-mapping software, the BBJ has identified a handful of candidates to potentially carry the crown as the wealthiest ZIP code in Massachusetts. Not surprisingly, most of the communities in the running are located in Boston's western suburbs.
At the top is Weston, with a median household income of $200,001 and median home value $1 million.
So how did the Berkshires do? Well, we might think certain areas are "wealthy" but they came up short compared to the rest of the state (with the caveat that rich and poor are relative).
We did crack the top 100, No. 80 to be exact. Our 90210 is 01258, better known as South Egremont.
The village, population 167, boasts a median household income of $72,768, a median home value of $292,500 and an average net worth of $1.05 million.
Also with an average net worth of a $1 million is Richmond, coming in at spot 105. (Richmond was also ranked No. 42 in the state with the most millionaires per residents; Alford was 18.) The top six in the Berkshires are all small towns, the biggest being West Stockbridge with a population of 1,678. Hmmm, do second-home owners get counted twice?
The county's two cities are in the 400 range, but they're not last in the state. Springfield, Lawrence and Lynn make up the bottom.
Try the interactive database here to find out where your ZIP code ranks.