Washington Area Counties Weathiest in U.S.

　

The Washington region dominates the latest list of highest income U.S. counties. New 2011 data from the Census Bureau show that Loudon and Fairfax counties held on in the top two spots, while Arlington moved into third place, up from fifth the year before. Even better, Prince William rose from ninth to seventh on the list, and Alexandria jumped from 39th to 26th.

Here are the Top Ten weathiest counties in America.

1 Loudoun VA 119,134

2 Fairfax VA 105,797

3 Arlington VA 100,735

4 Hunterdon NJ 99,099

5 Howard MD 98,953

6 Somerset NJ 96,360

7 Prince William VA 95,146

8 Fauquier VA 93,762

9 Douglas CO 93,573

10 Montgomery MD 92,909

Here’s the list of the Top 100 wealthiest counties in America.

　

Top Albums of 2011

Top Albums of 2011

1) 21 - Adele

2) Bon Iver, Bon Iver - Bon Iver

3) Born This Way - Lady Gaga

4) Barton Hollow - The Civil Wars

5) King of Limbs - Radiohead

6) Father, Son, Holy Ghost - Girls

7) Circuital - My Morning Jacket

8) Ceremonials - Florence and the Machine

9) Wasting Light - Foo Fighters

10) Any Man in America - Blue October

11) The King is Dead - The Decemberists

12) The Whole Love - Wilco

Virginia Best Value Colleges

January 3, 2012 — The University of Virginia retained its No. 3 ranking for the sixth time in seven years in the "100 Best Values in Public Colleges" list, released today by Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine.

"As states cut funding for higher education and tuition continues to climb, the word 'value' becomes more significant than ever," said Jane Bennett Clark, senior editor at Kiplinger's Personal Finance. "This year’s top 100 public schools deliver strong academics at reasonable prices. We applaud these institutions for tightening their belts without compromising quality."

According to its press release, Kiplinger's assesses quality and affordability based on a number of measurable standards. This year, rankings were revamped to give more weight to academic value, such as the percentage of students who return for sophomore year and the four-year graduation rate. Cost criteria include low sticker prices, abundant financial aid and low average debt at graduation.

The article says of U.Va.: "This elite institution not only has a competitive admission rate (33 percent), but also the highest graduation rate. And it stands out for its generous financial aid: U.Va. is one of the two schools in our rankings that meet the full financial need of enrolled students (the other is the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). Students who qualify for need-based aid pay an average annual cost of only $5,138."

For out-of-state students, U.Va. remained the No. 5 best value among public colleges and universities.

UNC at Chapel Hill was ranked first overall for the 11th straight year, followed by the University of Florida and U.Va. The College of William & Mary retained its No. 4 ranking. Rounding out the top 10: New College of Florida; University of Georgia; University of California, Berkeley; University of Maryland, College Park; University of California, Los Angeles; and the University of California, San Diego.

Other Virginia universities ranked in the top 100 were James Madison University, No. 28; Virginia Tech, No. 32; University of Mary Washington, No. 44; George Mason University, No. 50; and Christopher Newport University, No. 94.