The following was written by Mark Meckler and originally published on his Patheos Blog.
You know that swamp that Donald Trump talks about all the time? Apparently, it’s a very swanky place. The Census Bureau just released a pretty interesting statistic: the five richest counties in the United States are all suburbs of Washington, D.C.:
Loudoun County, Virginia (which has a median income of $125,672)
Falls Church City, Virginia (which has a median income of $115,244)
Fairfax County, Virginia, (which had a median income of $114,329
Howard County, Maryland, (which had a median income of $113,800)
Arlington County, Virginia, (which had a median income of $108,706)
In fact, out of the top twenty richest counties, suburbs around our nation’s capital accounted for nine of the top twenty.
How does that compare to the rest of us?
According to CNS News, “The nationwide median household income in 2012-2016, according to the Census Bureau, was $55,322. That means that the income in the nation’s four richest counties—Loudoun, Falls Church City, Fairfax County, and Howard County—were all more than double the national median.”
Also, there’s this:
“The median household income in Arlington County, the nation’s fifth richest county, which sits directly across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., was 96.5 percent greater than the national median.”
Nice. Doesn’t this cause one to wonder exactly why there’s so much wealth surrounding our nation’s Capitol? to ask the question is to answer it. The economic magnet of politics means that defense contractors, lawyers, and computer engineers along the Dulles Corridor attract people who reliably make a significant amount of money. But here’s the kicker, from the Atlantic:
“Crucially, there was a $1.7 billion increase in lobbying between 1998 and 2010, as Dylan Matthews explained. With each $1 million of lobbying “associated with a $3.70 increase in the D.C. wage premium,” the money pouring into Washington wound up in the pockets of its residents.”
And it just keeps growing. Let’s hope Trump pulls the drain on that Swamp, and soon.
Want to help? Join the Convention of States Project to learn about a way to drain the swamp permanently.
