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Ranked: The World’s Wealthiest Cities, by Number of Millionaires

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Infographic showing a ranking of the world's wealthiest cities

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The Top 20 Cities for the World’s Ultra-Wealthy

How many millionaires, centimillionaires, and billionaires live in the world’s wealthiest cities?

While such metrics are not all encompassing, these measurements of private wealth do help put the financial health and economic activity of some of the world’s wealthiest cities in perspective.

This infographic uses information from the Henley Global Citizens Report, in partnership with New World Wealth, to rank the world’s wealthiest cities. It leverages a comprehensive data set that tracks the movements and spending habits of high-net-worth individuals in over 150 cities around the world.

Which cities and regions have the biggest concentrations of millionaires around the world, each with a net worth greater than $1 million (USD)?

Millionaires and Billionaires in the Wealthiest Cities

In the latest edition of the ranking, North America has a strong showing with seven of the wealthiest cities, by number of millionaires.

In particular, the United States claims five of the cities in the top 10, including the very top spot with New York City.

RankCityCountryMillionairesBillionaires
#1New York🇺🇸 United States345,60059
#2Tokyo🇯🇵 Japan304,90012
#3San Francisco🇺🇸 United States276,40062
#4London🇬🇧 United Kingdom272,40038
#5Singapore🇸🇬 Singapore249,80026
#6Los Angeles🇺🇸 United States192,40034
#7Chicago🇺🇸 United States160,10028
#8Houston🇺🇸 United States132,60025
#9Beijing🇨🇳 China131,50044
#10Shanghai🇨🇳 China130,10042
#11Sydney🇦🇺 Australia129,50016
#12Hong Kong🇭🇰 China (SAR)125,10028
#13Frankfurt🇩🇪 Germany117,40014
#14Toronto🇨🇦 Canada116,10017
#15Zurich🇨🇭 Switzerland105,10012
#16Seoul🇰🇷 South Korea102,10025
#17Melbourne🇦🇺 Australia97,30012
#18Dallas🇺🇸 United States92,30018
#19Geneva🇨🇭 Switzerland90,30016
#20Paris🇫🇷 France88,60015
Top 20 Cities3,259,600543

Asia is the region with the second most millionaires with six cities in the mix. Not surprisingly, China is home to three of these cities, including Hong Kong (SAR).

Europe comes in third with five cities, though only London makes into the top 10 portion of the ranking. Finally, Oceania has two cities on the list, both located in Australia.

How Top Cities Stack Up

Let’s take a closer look at some of the top-ranking cities making the list.

#1: New York

New York is the wealthiest city in the world⁠—home to 345,600 millionaires with a total private wealth that exceeds $3 trillion.

New York is home to many Fortune 500 companies and is the financial heart of the United States, with the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ located in the Big Apple. Additionally, the city’s real estate market is known for being expensive, with sky-high property values and rents.

#2: Tokyo

Tokyo is the economic hub of Japan and is one of the most important cities in the world for business and finance. It is home to 304,900 resident millionaires, making it the city with the second most millionaires in the world.

Japan’s largest city is home to the Tokyo Stock Exchange, which is one of the largest stock exchanges in Asia by market capitalization. Tokyo is also a major center for banking and insurance, and is home to many multinational companies like Honda and Sony.

#3: San Francisco Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area boasts 276,400 millionaires. It’s known as the mecca of tech innovation, and as a result, the region has a high concentration of wealthy individuals. San Francisco also has the highest median household income in the country.

The number of millionaires has been growing steadily over the last 10 years, and if the trends of recent years hold, San Francisco could become the number one millionaire hub by 2040.

#4: London

London has been the world’s wealthiest city for years, but over the past decade there has been an outflow of millionaires.

Today, with 272,400 millionaires, the city holds a more humble position. London is known for its financial and business sectors, and it attracts a significant number of high-earning professionals who contribute to its reputation as a hub of wealth and luxury.

#5: Singapore

Singapore is home to 249,800 millionaires making it the second richest city in Asia after Tokyo.

Singapore has one of the highest densities of millionaire households in Asia, with over 5% of households having at least $1 million USD in net financial assets. This is due in part to the country’s strong economic growth and favorable business environment, which has attracted many wealthy individuals and families to the country. In addition, Singapore’s political stability, low crime rate, and high standard of living have also contributed to its appeal as a place to live and work.

Fastest Growing Cities for the Rich

The cities shown in our visualization are already well-established locations for high-net-worth individuals. Some of them have topped the rankings for decades, while some others are less well-known. But what are the fastest growing cities for the rich?

In 2022, cities with strong oil and gas industries like Riyadh, Sharjah, Dubai, Luanda, Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Lagos grew exceptionally. Cities in the UAE became millionaire magnets, attracting over 4,000 millionaires in 2022. In the U.S., a few tax-friendly states like Texas and Florida became home to American companies moving their head offices there.

Looking to the future, companies and high-net-worth individuals will inevitably move where they are treated best. Countries that want to attract wealthy individuals will have to apply tax-friendly policies along with other factors such as quality of life, safety, education, and access to amenities that ultra-wealthy residents value.

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Economy

Charted: Public Trust in the Federal Reserve

Public trust in the Federal Reserve chair has hit its lowest point in 20 years. Get the details in this infographic.

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The Briefing

  • Gallup conducts an annual poll to gauge the U.S. public’s trust in the Federal Reserve
  • After rising during the COVID-19 pandemic, public trust has fallen to a 20-year low

 

Charted: Public Trust in the Federal Reserve

Each year, Gallup conducts a survey of American adults on various economic topics, including the country’s central bank, the Federal Reserve.

More specifically, respondents are asked how much confidence they have in the current Fed chairman to do or recommend the right thing for the U.S. economy. We’ve visualized these results from 2001 to 2023 to see how confidence levels have changed over time.

Methodology and Results

The data used in this infographic is also listed in the table below. Percentages reflect the share of respondents that have either a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence.

YearFed chair% Great deal or Fair amount
2023Jerome Powell36%
2022Jerome Powell43%
2021Jerome Powell55%
2020Jerome Powell58%
2019Jerome Powell50%
2018Jerome Powell45%
2017Janet Yellen45%
2016Janet Yellen38%
2015Janet Yellen42%
2014Janet Yellen37%
2013Ben Bernanke42%
2012Ben Bernanke39%
2011Ben Bernanke41%
2010Ben Bernanke44%
2009Ben Bernanke49%
2008Ben Bernanke47%
2007Ben Bernanke50%
2006Ben Bernanke41%
2005Alan Greenspan56%
2004Alan Greenspan61%
2003Alan Greenspan65%
2002Alan Greenspan69%
2001Alan Greenspan74%

Data for 2023 collected April 3-25, with this statement put to respondents: “Please tell me how much confidence you have [in the Fed chair] to recommend the right thing for the economy.”

We can see that trust in the Federal Reserve has fluctuated significantly in recent years.

For example, under Alan Greenspan, trust was initially high due to the relative stability of the economy. The burst of the dotcom bubble—which some attribute to Greenspan’s easy credit policies—resulted in a sharp decline.

On the flip side, public confidence spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was likely due to Jerome Powell’s decisive actions to provide support to the U.S. economy throughout the crisis.

Measures implemented by the Fed include bringing interest rates to near zero, quantitative easing (buying government bonds with newly-printed money), and emergency lending programs to businesses.

Confidence Now on the Decline

After peaking at 58%, those with a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the Fed chair have tumbled to 36%, the lowest number in 20 years.

This is likely due to Powell’s hard stance on fighting post-pandemic inflation, which has involved raising interest rates at an incredible speed. While these rate hikes may be necessary, they also have many adverse effects:

  • Negative impact on the stock market
  • Increases the burden for those with variable-rate debts
  • Makes mortgages and home buying less affordable

Higher rates have also prompted many U.S. tech companies to shrink their workforces, and have been a factor in the regional banking crisis, including the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.

Where does this data come from?

Source: Gallup (2023)

Data Notes: Results are based on telephone interviews conducted April 3-25, 2023, with a random sample of –1,013—adults, ages 18+, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on this sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. See source for details.

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