8. Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, MD
A small-town with a big-city bank account, Bethesda was named the number one top earning town in 2008 by Money Magazine, and the area sports an unemployment rate of 4.5 percent among 45-54-year-olds. Many jobs are concentrated in government and business, but according to the most recent BLS data, leisure and hospitality made up nearly 50,000 of the area’s employees, which isn’t surprising considering that the Ritz Carlton and Marriot International are based here.
