D.C. Area Tops for Wealthy Young People

Wow. Considering all the people working in government and non-profit, what profession are these people in? Surely, high-end escorts and drug dealers can't account for all of these people, right?

lobbyists...lots o' lobbyists

Better to be poor and middle-aged in DC than to be young, rich, depressed and hipsterifically annoying in Virginia! Yes, depressed. They live in VA for Chrissakes.

Let's not forget the defense contractors; all the peeps who fill in the ranks for SAIC, Booze Allen, Lockheed, etc., etc. Judging by the Loudoun, Arlington, and Alexandria, I would say most of these youngsters making 6 figures are defense contractors at the Pentagon or one of the bajillion DoD/Fed. offices in Arlington and Alex. Those lucrative Homeland Security contracts go somewhere you know... For most defense contractors I've met $100K is a starter salary.

I'm in the high-fidelity first class traveling set and I think I need a lear jet. Baaaaaa!!!

This is meant to be a "positive" rather than "normative" statement, but DC, as most readers surely appreciate, is quite diverse. My hunch is that if NW were considered rather than all of DC, NW would rank pretty high.

Alternatively, it might be that DC is too expensive, even for people making 100k. I have always been under the impression that many of the 25- to 34-year old professional set is in Arlington and Alexandria because (NW) DC is relatively unaffordable (I don't know much about Loudoun County and I am biased. Why else would they make the choice?). 100K a year goes a long way most places, but it doesn't get you much house, eg, in Dupont, Logan and Georgetown. To get a row house there, you have give up your life to bill 2000+ hours a year until you are 35+ and then, if you make partner, buy you the tony rowhouse (and fill it w/ dated furniture etc. because you haven't had time to keep up w/ things). That's one way to go, I suppose, and we all have to make our choices.

As a note to Sommer, I, for one, am happy w/ the choice you made.

Interesting how Sommer chose wrote about this. I read a study once (forgot where, sadly) that people would rather make $90K when most of their friends and peers made $80K than $100K while their friends made $110K. In other words, folks are generally willing to give up 10K in order to be at or above the level of those around them.

My advice: get a mildly interesting job with the federal government or something similar. You'll eventually pull down six figures and most federal offices are low key enough that you might be able keep a outside blog or writing projects going during the down time. In any case, finding a job that makes you happy is far more difficult than finding a job that leaves you content and seeking happiness outside of work.

And don't mind so much that you can't still afford the rowhouse of your dreams in NW DC, as Chris B points out above. That house isn't really a great investment anyway and you'll probably have to deal with some thickheaded DC agency just to rent the basement out. When it comes right down to it, adult life is not about getting all the things that make you look stable and successful. Adult life is about constantly making difficult decisions about what you are going to give up.

Finally, check out Animal Collective already.