www.thecentersquare.com – By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-06-03 11:12:00
Virginia ranks first in the nation for household income in 2025, based on WalletHub’s analysis of all 50 states and D.C. The report examined average incomes for the top 5%, bottom 20%, and median households. Virginia excels across these categories: the top 5% earn $533,522 annually (3rd nationally), the bottom 20% earn $19,293 (4th highest), and the median income is $93,275 (17th). Neighboring states like Maryland (15th) and D.C. (13th) also performed well. WalletHub highlights that both high- and low-income earners in Virginia outperform counterparts in most states, reflecting strong income levels overall.
(The Center Square) – Virginia ranks first in the nation for household income in 2025, according to a new analysis from the personal finance site WalletHub.
The report evaluated all 50 states and the District of Columbia using three key income metrics: the average income of the top 5%, the average income of the bottom 20% and the median household income. The goal was to identify where residents are earning the most across the board.
Virginia topped the list with a strong showing in each category. The top 5% of earners make an average of $533,522 per year, ranking third in the nation. The bottom 20% earn $19,293, the fourth-highest for that group. The commonwealth’s median household income is $93,275, ranking 17th overall.
New Jersey ranked second overall, followed by New York, Connecticut and Washington. At the bottom of the list were West Virginia, New Mexico and Mississippi.
Surrounding states also performed well. Maryland ranked 15th overall, with a top 5% income of $438,321 and a median income of $128,496. The District of Columbia ranked 13th, with the highest median income in the nation at $169,153, but a much lower bottom 20% income of $9,768.
WalletHub analysts said in Virginia, both high- and low-earning households outperform their counterparts in most other states.
“Virginia is the state where people have the highest income, when balancing between the median, top 5% and bottom 20% of earners.”
“While there is a big gap between these two numbers, the top 5% ranks as the third-highest in the nation, while the bottom 20% ranks fourth. In other words, both the rich and the poor are doing better than their counterparts in other states.”
The report also included adjusted rankings based on cost of living, and expert commentary on national income trends. According to WalletHub, the analysis is designed to give a fuller picture of income levels beyond just average or median earnings.
“By measuring the income of various percentiles against a state’s median income, we can better identify where income levels are strongest,” the report states.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The article presents a straightforward, data-driven report on household income rankings by state, based on an analysis from WalletHub. It focuses on objective income statistics without promoting any ideological perspective or policy stance. The language is neutral and factual, simply summarizing findings related to income levels across different income percentiles and states. There is no evident framing that favors or criticizes any political ideology, party, or economic system. Thus, the content adheres to neutral reporting, conveying information without ideological bias.
www.youtube.com – NBC4 Washington – 2025-07-23 20:00:21
SUMMARY: Children’s National Hospital announced it will stop prescribing gender-affirming medications after August 30 due to escalating legal and regulatory risks. This decision follows pressure from the Trump administration and executive orders banning federal funds for services supporting gender transition in children. The hospital’s gender development program, active for 20 years, will continue offering mental health support but will phase out medication. Advocates say health providers face government overreach limiting care options. Organizations like Whitman-Walker and the Human Rights Campaign are working to support affected families, urging state and local protections to ensure continued access to gender-affirming care.
Children’s National Hospital said it will stop prescribing gender-affirming medications to its patients later this summer. News4’s …
Dulles International Airport is planning a major 25-year expansion, including a new hotel, retail spaces, offices, and a long-planned fifth runway to handle increasing air traffic and noise. The fifth runway, approved by the FAA in 2005 but not yet scheduled for construction, would run east-west near Chantilly, Virginia. Local officials and communities in Loudoun and Fairfax counties, where noise impact zones exist, are raising concerns and seeking dialogue with the FAA about noise and flight procedures. The airport’s updated master plan, approved in July 2025, is now under FAA review with no timeline set for completion.
Dulles International Airport is preparing for major growth — laying the groundwork for a sweeping 25-year overhaul that includes new hotels, office and retail space, and a fifth runway that could bring more air traffic — and more noise — to nearby neighborhoods.
The runway plan is part of the newly updated Dulles International Airport Master Plan, though the concept itself isn’t new. The fifth runway has been in the airport’s designs since 1958 and was included in the previously adopted 1985 master plan.
On July 16, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Board of Directors approved the updated plan, which is now under review by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Emily McGee, a MWAA spokeswoman, emphasized that the possibility of increased aircraft noise was no secret to local governments and developers, having been published “long before” homes were built in parts of Loudoun and Fairfax Counties.
“All airport master plans, including the 1985 and 2025 Dulles versions, as well as the 2005 (Environmental Impact Study) and the 2019 noise contour update, were created with input from the surrounding communities, including county leadership,” said McGee in a statement to The Mercury.
Expanding the number of runways has become a “necessity” as Dulles handles 560,000 aircrafts annually, according to MWAA. The fourth north-south runway opened in 2008. The proposed fifth runway — approximately 10,500 feet long and 150 feet wide — would run east-west, parallel to U.S. Route 50, west of Chantilly.
The FAA approved both the fourth and fifth runways in 2005, but construction of the fifth has not yet been scheduled.
While the proposal has long been in the works, current and projected noise from flights on the fifth runway has prompted local leaders in Fairfax and Loudoun counties to raise awareness in surrounding communities.
“The airport has been here for a long time. They were here before the residents came, but now that the residents are here, I think it’s important to be a good neighbor, and I think it is important to have a dialogue with the community,” said Loudoun County Supervisor Laura Tekrony, who represents constituents in Lenah.
Supervisor Matt Letourneau, who represents most of the area impacted, including Arcola — adjacent to the airport — told the Loudoun Times-Mirror regarding the expansion of runways in April 2023 that his main priority is to establish “a dialogue with the FAA about departure procedures, to include what may be possible and what the impacts of any changes would be, including on other runways and potentially impacted areas.”
Some communities, like Lenah and Arcola, fall within Loudoun’s designated “Airport Impact Overlay District,” where noise is expected at specified levels. In Fairfax County, a similar area is referred to as the “Airport Noise Overlay District.”
Loudoun implemented its district in the early 1990s to “mitigate impacts to prospective homebuyers in areas that could be affected by aircraft noise and to prevent residential development in areas where the highest noise impact to people on the ground is anticipated to occur,” according to Loudoun County. Fairfax’s overlay district was established in 2001.
In 2019, MWAA updated its noise exposure maps for Dulles Airport to reflect changes in the aviation environment over the past 30 years, as well as anticipated future shifts. Loudoun also amended its 2019 Comprehensive Plan and overlay district map, potentially affecting about 59,000 property owners around the airport.
The FAA uses the Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL or Ldn) as a tool to calculate average noise levels over a 24-hour period. The measurement system divides areas into three noise tiers based on proximity to airports, which Loudoun uses to set specific development and home sale requirements.
In Loudoun, new development is not permitted in areas where the noise level is Ldn 65 or higher — the tier closest to the airport.
In areas where the noise level is Ldn 60-65, developers are required to notify homebuyers that the property is within the overlay district at the time of the initial sale. Residential construction in these zones must include acoustical treatments, and builders must obtain legal rights before construction to allow for aircraft overflight in the airspace above the property.
The one-mile buffer zone, the farthest tier from the airport, also requires that developers notify homebuyers at the initial sale that the property lies within the district.
Loudoun is also participating in a limited-scope initiative called the Runway 30 Aviation Noise Mitigation Project, which aims to better understand noise impacts west of the airport and identify potential solutions related to the fourth runway, currently used for departures.
“This truly is a process that we believe will be helpful for the relationship with the airport and the community, because if we can prove that this process can have a community consensus, and the potential to increase safety and maybe even improve efficiency, I think it’s a win-win for everybody,” said Carolyn McCulley, a team member with the project led by aviation consultant Vianair.
The FAA did not provide an estimated timeline for completing its review of the master plan before this article was published.
Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The content presents a straightforward report on the proposed expansion of Dulles International Airport and its implications for local communities, emphasizing factual details such as planning history, regulatory approvals, community impact, and noise mitigation efforts. It includes perspectives from local officials, regulatory agencies, and community initiatives without endorsing a particular political stance. The balanced presentation of economic development alongside community concerns reflects a neutral viewpoint without evident ideological leanings.
www.youtube.com – NBC4 Washington – 2025-07-22 20:11:21
SUMMARY: The Washington Commanders opened training camp without star receiver Terry McLaurin, who did not report due to ongoing contract disputes. McLaurin missed the team’s conditioning test, officially beginning his holdout as negotiations continue. Team insiders express high regard for McLaurin and are working to close the gap between both sides to reach an agreement. Meanwhile, Head Coach Dan Quinn is enthusiastic about camp’s competitive spirit, emphasizing the intense matchups that push players to excel. Despite McLaurin’s absence, Commanders players are eager to build on last season’s success as camp begins with practice scheduled for Wednesday morning.
Star wide receiver Terry McLaurin did not report to Washington Commanders training camp as he negotiates a contract extension. Team Insider JP Finlay reports.
_______
NBC4 Washington / WRC-TV is the No. 1 broadcast television station and the home of the most-watched local news in Washington, D.C. The station leads the market in providing timely and breaking news and information in text, video and graphics across more than 15 platforms including NBCWashington.com, the NBC4 app, NBC4 streaming news channel, newsletters, and social media.
