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2 US cities make this ranking. *by city proper
TOP 10 BILLIONAIRE CITIES IN THE WORLD, 2021
Rank/City, Billionaires(change from last year)
1 Beijing, 100(+33) 2 New York, 99(+7)
3 Hong Kong, 80(+9)
4 Moscow, 79(+9)
5 Shenzhen, 68(+24)
6 Shanghai, 64(+18)
7 London, 63(+7)
8 Mumbai, 48(+10) 8 San Francisco, 48(+11)
10 Hangzhou, 47(+21)
I wonder how the "elitists' feel about being called by the term "elitist"? Do some wear the label with pride or is it something they feel guilty and kind've embarrassed about.? Or do most deny they are "elitists'"?
There is a defensible kind of "elitism" as well as the obnoxious kind everyone hates.
Time culture critic William A. Henry III even wrote a book about the defensible kind back in the mid-1990s. Its tone will rub a lot of people the wrong way, and his argument cuts across my own egalitarian grain too, but at a fundamental level, he is right about his basic points: People do differ in their talents and abilities, and as a result, a fair society will not necessarily distribute all the glittering prizes proportionately across all groups and strata. And some cultures have more to teach us than others, if for no other reason than that those cultures bothered to leave a written record around.
This latter book was written as a response to the election of Donald Trump as President.
But most of the elitists who IMO raise hackles are the ones who measure everything by money and consumer goods, especially those of the status-symbol variety. There are lots of people who take home humongous salaries who are very narrowly educated and couldn't hold their own in a conversation on subjects beyond their own narrow specialization. There are those who flaunt their <Benzes|$30 million houses|Gucci leather goods|...> as though this proves something, then, when they open their mouths, they prove the opposite of what the status symbols are supposed to suggest. And so on. I'd rather have a conversation with the well-traveled tour guide who gets by on their modest salary than with one of these, for that person is likely to have had a broader exposure to a wide range of people, places and experiences, thus making them better educated.
Well, there are 3 tiers to Wealth-X's research and shack-owners in Sunnyvale most likely fall under the lowest tier.
Ultra High Net Worth Individuals($30 Million+)
Very High Net Worth Individuals($5 Million-$30 Million)
High Net Worth Individuals($1 Million-$5 Million)
So the Sunnyvale shack owner is most likely in the $1-$5 Million range if their house is the only source of their asset wealth.
Otherwise, the Very High Net Worth individuals are $5,000,000- $29,999,999 and most likely have substantial investments besides just their home.
Very High Net Worth($5M-$30M) Individuals With a
Primary or Secondary Home by US Metro Area, 2021
182,395 New York
103,345 Los Angeles
75,560 San Francisco
62,195 Dallas
55,070 Atlanta
51,715 Boston
46,655 Washington DC
45,545 Miami
40,740 San Jose
37,160 Seattle
^As a single geography, the Bay Area is 2nd to New York in the concentration of VHNWIs.
On a per capita basis... Boston Frisco and Seattle are on top
Miami, Tampa, Phoenix and Dallas are all built on a similar grid system as midwestern cities like Chicago.
Definitely a mega-grid of arterials, but it breaks down at the local level in terms of street connectivity and ease of movement between grids.
Miami's grid is a bit more chopped up due to waterways. I think Tampa-St Pete's grid is less widespread regionally and the region is a lot more low-density with wider distances between intersections. There's still a solid, connected grid close to St Petersburg and Tampa. Dallas' grid breaks apart relatively quickly relative to the city/region's size. There's also less connectivity within and between the mega-blocks framed by arterials. Phoenix is pretty similar to Dallas.
Expensive, international, glamour, and exciting. It's a destination for elite people in the Western Hemisphere. I dont think you can have coastal elite without Miami.
What about Miami isnt elite?
Miami is "elite" in the same way Las Vegas is. It attracts people with money who want to spend lavishly.
The real Miami is low wages and low education. The showy lifestyle and attitudes don't exclusively make a place elite.
New York and Los Angeles lead the entire world in primary and secondary homes for individuals worth $30M+
San Francisco, Chicago, Miami and Washington DC are also in the Top 10.
Dallas, Houston, Naples(FL), Greenwich(CT) and San Jose are in the Top 20.
Top 20 Cities by Ultra High Net Worth Individuals($30M+) with a Primary or Secondary Home, 2021 *US Cities are by Metro Area(MSA) 24,660 New York
16,295 Los Angeles
14,485 London
14,235 Hong Kong
7,035 Paris 6,740 San Francisco
6,085 Chicago
5,615 Miami
5,250 Singapore 4,905 Washington DC
4,890 Dallas
4,480 Beijing 4,435 Houston
3,705 Geneva
3,295 Zurich
3,080 Toronto 3,035 Naples, FL(Metro Area)
2,910 Greenwich, CT(Bridgeport Metro Area)
2,830 Shenzhen 2,790 San Jose, CA
This is a pretty good indicator of where the global elite spend their time since this is also measures secondary homes.
I still prefer the $5M ranking because it is much broader and includes way more people, but the above list represents the very wealthiest, only thing left is the Forbes Billionaire Ranking.
EDIT: This is just regarding wealth, plenty of people in elite circles dont have millions like this(academics, artists, musicians, scientists, etc) but still as a group in their cities constitute an elite cluster, so as pointed out earlier, this isnt all about money, but money is a way to measure one aspect and we can draw certain conclusions from this data.
EDIT: San Francisco and San Jose together account for 9,530 UHNWI primary or secondary residences, which lifts the Bay Area past Paris to 5th in the world.
Miami is "elite" in the same way Las Vegas is. It attracts people with money who want to spend lavishly.
The real Miami is low wages and low education. The showy lifestyle and attitudes don't exclusively make a place elite.
Real estate is valued at a much higher and I get the sense there ha far more wealth marked in suburban Miani than Las Vegas... Miami is a more mature city. And the unofficial capita of Latin America.theres similarities with Vegas but I think it's different enough. I do not think of Vegas as elite at all.
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