Teton County Remains the Nation’s Richest—and It’s Not Even Close

Teton County has once again claimed the title of wealthiest county in America, with a per capita income of $532,903 in 2024—more than six times the national average of $73,204 and more than a quarter-million dollars above second-place Summit County, Utah.

The numbers come from Jackson economist Jonathan Schechter’s latest analysis, which shows the county’s wealth grew 6.5% over 2023. To put it in perspective: Teton County’s per capita income is roughly $500,000 higher than Wheeler County, Georgia, the nation’s poorest.

What’s driving those numbers? Mostly investments, not wages. Schechter found that 77% of Teton County’s total income comes from investment earnings—a per capita figure of $411,446, higher than any other county by a wide margin. No other county’s per capita investment income even reaches $180,000.

Wages tell a different story. They account for just 21% of residents’ total income, ranking Teton County 3,114 out of 3,116 counties nationwide. Yet the actual wage income—$111,642 per capita—places it 10th in the country, on par with Silicon Valley.

More than 80% of residents’ income is “location neutral,” meaning remote work has fundamentally reshaped the county’s economy.

The transformation is staggering. Sixty years ago, Teton County was poor enough to qualify for a federally subsidized loan meant for the nation’s neediest communities. That loan helped launch a little ski hill called Jackson Hole.

Today, Schechter calls Teton County the “gateway drug” to the rest of Wyoming—luring people in before they realize they can’t afford to live there and drift to nearby communities. But he questions why more wealthy newcomers don’t settle elsewhere in the state.

“The thing that’s less clear to me is why the really well-to-do are not settling in Wyoming’s other 22 counties,” he said.

Schechter argues it’s time to treat real estate as a renewable resource, like coal. With over $2 billion in annual real estate sales, even a small transfer tax—structured to apply only to Teton County—could generate significant revenue. He points to the lodging tax, initially opposed elsewhere, that eventually benefited tourism statewide.

“To me, there’s just absolutely no threat to the rest of the state,” Schechter said. “It would be a great experiment to try something new and different that might help everybody.”