According to a 2025 SmartAsset study of 90 of the country’s largest cities, 65.3% of people living in Arlington, Virginia earn more than $100,000 annually (second only behind Fremont, California at 71.9%). Meanwhile, job site Zip Recruiter cited the average income in Arlington (as of April 25, 2025) as $83,046. For context, the median Q1 2025 income in the United States, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, was $1,194 weekly, which works out to $62,088 a year. Clearly, Arlington residents stand out from much of the crowd in terms of earning power.
In the same SmartAsset study, Arlington ranked as the second happiest city in the United States — in part because money can absolutely help to bring happiness. This isn’t just an assumption, either. A 2021 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America concluded that higher incomes can bring higher levels of happiness, using reporting from more than one million people to make this determination. In short, while money can’t literally buy happiness, it can address many problems that consumers experience — thereby contributing to overall well-being.
Income isn’t the only happiness factor
Quality of life can contribute to a sense of happiness, and Arlington is known for its family-friendly atmosphere, outdoor activities, nightlife, and diversity — all of which can contribute to overall health and wellness. Given those attributes, it’s not surprising that Arlington residents also enjoy a significant number of good mental health days – nearly 85%, according to a 2025 SmartAsset study.
Arlington also boasts a high-quality healthcare system with U.S. News & World Report ranking the city’s Virginia Hospital Center as the state’s sixth best, and ranking it first for adult specialties across 13 different procedures/conditions. This surely helps to contribute to how Arlington residents enjoy a higher average life expectancy. At 83.94 years, Arlington residents can live more than four more years longer than what Macrotrends records as the average lifespan in the United States for 2025: 79.4 years. Although quality healthcare plays a key role in longer lifespans, an intriguing correlation exists between longevity and happiness that can provide another reason for more years on the planet. According to a 2015 study published in the Social Science & Medicine journal, people aren’t necessarily happier because they’re living longer. Instead, a happy person tends to live longer.
How to boost your income (and potentially your happiness)
Enjoying a higher income can open the door for a happier life, and Arlington provides numerous job opportunities across major companies: Amazon, Bloomberg Industry Group, Deloitte, Gartner, Boeing, and many more. With Arlington located just about five miles from Washington, D.C., many residents also benefit from the abundance of career opportunities there, as well.
Earning passive income can also contribute to your household’s bottom line. Passive income encompasses a variety of methods of earning income in ways that don’t require significant time and effort beyond the initial setup. Examples can range from writing an e-book that continues to sell to investing in stocks that pay a dividend. Some people, in fact, even live off of their investment dividend income. According to the Reddit thread, r/dividends, numerous people happily live off their dividends alone. Although no magic formula exists, there are numerous ways to earn income that can boost your quality of life, and your overall happiness.
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