Maryland has the highest median household income in the nation, and most of the wealth is concentrated in counties in the Baltimore-Washington area, new census figures show.

Data from the 2011 American Community Survey shows that Maryland’s median household income was $70,004, nearly 39 percent higher than the national average of $50,502. 

Howard County checked in as the fifth most-wealthy county in the United States, with a median household income of $98,953, while several other Maryland counties ranked in the top 50 nationally.

Other Maryland counties including Anne Arundel, Harford, Carroll, Montgomery and Prince George’s all reported household incomes higher than the state and national average.

In Maryland, 7.8 percent of all households reported a median income of more than $200,000.

Both nationally and in Maryland, incomes fell by about 1.3 percent between 2010 and 2011, though median incomes did rise in Anne Arundel, Montgomery and Harford Counties.

Howard County is wealthiest county in the state, followed by Montgomery County ($92,909), Anne Arundel County ($84,138) and Carroll County ($84,117).

Prince George’s County reported median household income of $70,715, slightly higher than the state average.

Baltimore County came in at $62,407, while Baltimore City recorded median household income of $38,712. 

While counties in Maryland did rate as some of the wealthiest in the country, some counties in Virginia had even higher median incomes.

Loudoun, Arlington and Fairfax County were the top three most-wealthy counties in the nation.

Nationally, Montgomery County ranked 10th in wealth, while Anne Arundel County ranked 22nd, Carroll County ranked 23rd, and Harford County ranked 42nd.  

The state of Maryland is buoyed by the presence of government jobs. About 23 percent of people in the state are employed by a government, with the highest percentages in Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties.

More detailed figures on population, income and other census data can be found at the U.S. Census Bureau's American Factfinder Database.