As politicians, pundits and popes are fond of reminding us, there is a large disparity in the distribution of wealth in the United States. What they don’t mention is that there is also a geographic one. There 12.3 million households in that earn more than $150,000 a year– about three times the median household income in America. Those who make that much are approximately the top 10 percent of earners. These households are heavily concentrated around the coasts and a few major landlocked cities.
The following interactive visualizes this disparity by showing you how far you have to travel from any given county to encompass 100,000 of these rich households. You can either search for a city or county or click or tap it directly.
For a fullscreen experience, see Time Labs.
In some cases, the count goes far above 100,000 if the final county to push the number of households over 100,000 is a very wealthy one.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- How the Economy is Doing in the Swing States
- Democrats Believe This Might Be An Abortion Election
- Our Guide to Voting in the 2024 Election
- Mel Robbins Will Make You Do It
- Why Vinegar Is So Good for You
- You Don’t Have to Dread the End of Daylight Saving
- The 20 Best Halloween TV Episodes of All Time
- Meet TIME's Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
Write to Chris Wilson at chris.wilson@time.com