That's what Bankrate found in a new report that ranked the 18 largest US metro areas according to how strong of an environment they provide for making and saving money. To determine the rankings, Bankrate analyzed after-tax savable income, the job market, human capital (indicating available educational opportunities for career advancement), access to financial services, participation in retirement savings plans, and the local housing market in each city.
Here, we've highlighted the top 13 big cities for building wealth. We also included the median home value in each metro area and the median household income, from the US Census Bureau's 2014 American Community Survey:
13. San Francisco
San Francisco, California.
Population: 4,594,060
Median home value: $657,300
Median household income: $83,222
12. Seattle
Seattle, Washington.
Population: 3,671,478
Median home value: $334,700
Median household income: $71,273
11. Boston
Boston, Massachusetts.
Population: 4,732,161
Median home value: $373,200
Median household income: $75,667
10. Chicago
Chicago, Illinois.
Population: 9,553,810
Median home value: $211,800
Median household income: $61,598
9. Minneapolis-St. Paul
Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Population: 3,495,176
Median home value: $216,400
Median household income: $69,111
8. Miami
Miami, Florida.
Population: 5,929,819
Median home value: $210,000
Median household income: $48,458
7. Baltimore
Baltimore, Maryland.
Population: 2,785,874
Median home value: $71,501
Median household income: $279,900
6. Dallas-Fort Worth
Dallas, Texas.
Population: 6,954,003
Median home value: $160,600
Median household income: $59,530
5. New York
New York City, New York.
Population: 20,092,883
Median home value: $396,700
Median household income: $67,066
4. Detroit
Detroit, Michigan.
Population: 4,296,611
Median home value: 136,400
Median household income: $52,462
3. Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio.
Population: 2,063,598
Median home value: $137,800
Median household income: $49,889
2. Washington, DC
Washington, DC.
Population: 6,032,744
Median home value: $386,900
Median household income: $91,193
1. Houston
Houston, Texas.
Population: 6,490,180
Median home value: $153,200
Median household income: $60,072
