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GOBankingRates

Travis Woods

20 Best Midwest Cities for Young and Rich To Live

GOBankingRates Midwest Ohio Illinois FBI Michigan

Becoming wealthy while still young is no easy task. That said, earning a wealth level of more than $150,000 annually is only half the battle — once you’ve made your riches, you have to know where to live with them (and where to spend them). That’s why GOBankingRates recently launched a study to locate the 20 best Midwest cities for rich young people to live.

In order to do so, U.S. Census data was used to locate cities that not only had high population numbers for the 25 to 44 age bracket, but also high income levels within that bracket. Further, GOBankingRates sourced information from the FBI’s 2024 Offenses Known to Law Enforcement database to then locate the cities with the lowest property crime and violent crime rates.

From that matrix, GOBankingRates was then able to locate the 20 best cities in the Midwest for rich young people to live, spend and thrive.

Key Findings

Ohio leads the Midwest: With seven of the best places for the young and wealthy to live, the Buckeye State leads the charge in the top 20.
East Grand Rapids, Michigan has the most wealth: While East Grand Rapids might not top the list overall, it is home to nearly a quarter of young residents earning $150K or more.
Western Springs, Illinois is as safe as it gets: Not only does Western Springs place first in the top 20, it’s also the safest city for the young and wealthy to live, with the lowest violent crime rate of any metropolis surveyed.

1. Western Springs, Illinois

% of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 22%
Livability: 89
Property crime rate (per 1,000): 2.7
Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.1

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2. Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin

% of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 19.1%
Livability: 93
Property crime rate (per 1,000): 9.4
Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.1

3. Worthington, Ohio

% of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 18.1%
Livability: 94
Property crime rate (per 1,000): 12.4
Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.7

4. Upper Arlington, Ohio

% of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 18.1%
Livability: 90
Property crime rate (per 1,000): 8.0
Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.3

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5. Berkley, Michigan

% of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 16.2%
Livability: 91
Property crime rate (per 1,000): 3.4
Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.3

6. Verona, Wisconsin

% of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 17.4%
Livability: 90
Property crime rate (per 1,000): 6.6
Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.5

7. Hudson, Ohio

% of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 16.8%
Livability: 88
Property crime rate (per 1,000): 4.8
Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.4

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8. Bexley, Ohio

% of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 17.6%
Livability: 92
Property crime rate (per 1,000): 24.1
Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.2

9. Libertyville, Illinois

% of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 17.3%
Livability: 88
Property crime rate (per 1,000): 5.3
Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.8

10. Birmingham, Michigan

% of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 17.1%
Livability: 88
Property crime rate (per 1,000): 6.4
Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.6

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11. Solon, Ohio

% of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 11.7%
Livability: 90
Property crime rate (per 1,000): 8.0
Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.6

12. Rosemount, Minnesota

% of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 15.0%
Livability: 89
Property crime rate (per 1,000): 5.0
Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.6

13. Shorewood, Wisconsin

% of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 13.0%
Livability: 92
Property crime rate (per 1,000): 17.0
Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.2

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14. La Grange, Illinois

% of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 16.9%
Livability: 88
Property crime rate (per 1,000): 7.8
Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.9

15. University Heights, Ohio

% of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 10.7%
Livability: 93
Property crime rate (per 1,000): 10.8
Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.3

16. Perrysburg, Ohio

% of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 13.0%
Livability: 90
Property crime rate (per 1,000): 4.5
Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.3

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17. Ankeny, Iowa

% of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 14.4%
Livability: 92
Property crime rate (per 1,000): 10.2
Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 1.7

18. East Grand Rapids, Michigan

% of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 23.4%
Livability: 85
Property crime rate (per 1,000): 10.8
Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.6

19. Edwardsville, Illinois

% of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 11.3%
Livability: 90
Property crime rate (per 1,000): 6.8
Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.3

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Lynn Betts / USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services

20. Urbandale, Iowa

% of all homeowners who are age 25-44 and making $150K: 12.7%
Livability: 90
Property crime rate (per 1,000): 6.4
Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 0.9

Editor’s note: Photos are for representational purposes only and might not reflect the exact locations listed.

_{Methodology: GOBankingRates used data from the U.S. Census 2023 5-year American Community Survey to find the total population, population ages 25 to 44 and income information. The percentage of householders age 25-44 when compared to all households was calculated, and the percentage of householders age 25-44 with household income of $150,000. Property crime and violent crime data was sourced from the FBI’s 2024 Offenses Known to Law Enforcement and used to calculated the crime rates per 1,000 residents. The livability index was sourced from AreaVibes for each city. The percentage of householders age 25-44 when compared to all householders was scored and weighted at 2.00, the percentage of householders age 25-44 with household income of $150,000 was scored and weighted at 2.00, the livability was scored and weighted at 2.00, the property crime rate was scored and weighted at 1.50 and the violent crime rate was scored and weighted at 1.50. All the scores were summed and ranked. All data is up to date as of Dec. 8, 2025.}

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 20 Best Midwest Cities for Young and Rich To Live

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