Where's the Money? Look Around You

You might ask yourself during these tough economic times, where is all the money? It turns out, much of the wealth lies within our midst.

Eight counties in the Washington metropolitan area ranked among the top 50 wealthiest in the country in 2007, according to statistics released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis on Wednesday. The list offers a snapshot of the distribution of wealth in the United States.

Here's how the local counties stacked up in terms of per capita income in 2007 (that was pre-recession):

• 12. Alexandria, Va. ($70,632)
• 13. Arlington, Va. ($68,270)
• 14. Fairfax, Va. (including Fairfax City & Falls Church) ($67,909)
• 15. Montgomery, Md. ($67,525)
• 22. District of Columbia ($62,484)
• 31. Howard, Md. ($59,240)
• 36. Goochland, Va. ($58,642)
• 39. Talbot, Md. ($56,775)

In case you were wondering, the wealthiest county in 2007 according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis was Teton, Wy., with an average per capita income of $132,728. New York, N.Y., ranked second.