Where Are Affluent American's Moving?

19 June, 2010

If you had all the money you ever dreamed of, where would you live? In a ski community for the winter? Along the coast in the summer? On a farm away from it all? In a penthouse atop a skyscraper in a major population center? With enough money all of these are reasonable options. However, the well-to-do in this country are showing a preference for two things: bright, sunny days and low taxes.

Warm weather has always attracted people from all economic classes, including the rich. Why deal with the hassles of winter if you don't have to? So, where have those with money chosen to move in the past couple of years? To the South. Tax returns for 2008, the last year of this sort of data from the IRS, showed that Collier County, Florida, near Naples, is the place to be. More than 15,000 people move into Collier County in 2008 with an average reported income of just over $76,000 per person. That's over $300,000 for a family of four.

Greene County, Georgia was second on the list. The county barely has 15,000 residents, yet 788 affluent Americans chose Greene County, a mere 75 miles east of Atlanta. The average income of the new residents is over $56,000, making the total income for a family of four around $225,000. Rounding out the top five are three more southern counties. Nassau County, Florida (near Jacksonville), Llano County, Texas (northwest of Austin), and Walton County, Florida (east of Pensacola) all saw an influx of affluent residents.

As more and more affluent people move into these various counties, more and more lower income residents are leaving. Collier County, Florida actually saw 16,802 residents leave the county, but these were residents with an average income of just over $26,000 per person. Greene County, Georgia saw similar numbers. 778 people left the county, but only had an average income of $25,400 per person. The other three counties in the top five saw similar departures of lower-income residents.

What does all this mean for the new residents of these counties? For starters it means more and more neighbors are similarly situated. The medium income has risen in direct proportion to those who took up new residency. However, there's also a downside, but one that can be mitigated. Moves likes these don't go unnoticed by house burglars. The more affluent the area, the more likely skilled burglars are already on the prowl, looking for gaps and weaknesses in home security.

It becomes critically important to place an even greater emphasis on home security when entire neighborhoods are in similar economic classes. If one house gets robbed, burglars will assume that whatever was stolen in one house probably exists in every other house in the area. Expensive televisions, jewelry, cash, art and other collectibles, etc. Whatever there is of value to steal, burglars will make the assumption that, given the wealth of the area, the value will be high.

Make the effort to protect your home with a monitored ADT home security system, and have it professionally installed to ensure optimal performance. There's no reason to continue attaining the good things in life if you're going to allow burglars to rob you blind. Protect your home, your belongings, and your family today.