The most expensive counties in the US in which to buy real estate possess one or more assets that are attractive to people who can afford the most expensive homes. Some of these counties’ are home to Fortune 500 business headquarters, others are appealing vacation destinations and most are within a short commute to a major metropolitan center. This list begins with the most expensive counties and uses the median sales price which means that half of the homes sold for more than the median and half sold for less. The median sales prices of homes in these counties were for December 2013.
1. Nantucket County, Massachusetts
The island of Nantucket and two smaller islands comprise Nantucket County, a very upscale vacation destination and summer colony. Tommy Hilfiger, John Kerry and Jerry Stiller are a few of the homeowners of Nantucket County with the highest median sales price of 1,126,850 dollars.
2. Pitkin County, Colorado
The county seat of Pitkin County, Colorado is Aspen, the famous ski resort city. Pitkin’s median was 1,034,000 dollars in December 2013.
3. Marin County, California
Marin County is North of San Francisco and on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge. Some of the Marin County towns include Belvedere, Mill Valley, Tiburon and Sausalito. George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch, Muir Woods and Stinson Beach are in Marin County. The median for Marin County was 769,475 dollars.
4. Westchester County, New York
North of New York City, Westchester County is home for many commuters to Manhattan. The city of Yonkers is in Westchester County as well as a mansion once owned by railroad tycoon Jay Gould. The median sales price for Westchester County was 531,400 dollars.
5. Fairfax County, Va.
Fairfax County Virginia shares a border with Loudoun County. It is home to CIA headquarters, Volkswagen, Capital One and Sallie Mae. Tysons Corner, the 12th largest employment center in the country is also in Fairfax County. The Fairfax County median was 436,300 dollars.
6. Loudoun County, Virginia
Loudoun County, a suburb of Washington, D.C. enjoys the highest average income of all the counties in the US. The county seat for Loudoun is Leesburg, Virginia. Numerous vineyards, Verizon Business headquarters, the Telos Corporation and MCI make their home in Loudoun County. Loudoun County median was 406,926 dollars.
7. Fairfield County, Connecticut
Bridgeport, Darien, Greenwich and Westport are in the coastal county of Fairfield Connecticut along with the corporate headquarters of Duracell and Subway. Paul Newman, Ron Howard and Diana Ross own homes in Fairfield County. 377,600 dollars was the median home price for this county.
8. Morris County, New Jersey
Morris County in New Jersey is about 25 miles from New York City and an easy commute to Manhattan. The historic Revolutionary war sites of George Washington’s headquarters and Jockey Hollow are in Morris County. The median in December 2013 was 376,250 dollars.
9. Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County, New Jersey is quaint with gentle rolling hills and is conveniently located within the New York metropolitan area. Local companies include Johnson & Johnson, Verizon, Pfizer and UPS. Jackie Onassis, Mike Tyson and Malcolm Forbes have owned homes in Somerset County which had a median of 338,500 dollars.
10. Hunterdon County, N.J.
In the northwestern part of New Jersey lies Hunterdon County. Its rural flavor attracts hunting and fishing enthusiasts. Residents commute to New York City and Philadelphia. The median sales price was 337,512 dollars in November 2013.