Over the past few years, Huntsville has garnered some rather impressive accolades. Among the most recent saw Huntsville included as the top city in the nation for tech jobs. Data accumulated for this ranking included an incredible $96,000 median salary, which is a 13% increase in tech-based wages over the past few years.

Following along this success, Huntsville has ranked #2 in total income growth in the nation, following closely behind San Bernardino, CA.

SmartAsset found that, while the national median income rose only 3% over the past two years, Huntsville saw a whopping 30.2% increase in overall wages.

SmartAsset examined Census Bureau data for 124 of the largest cities in the country and ranked them by the size of income changes between 2019 and 2021.

Back in 2019, the Huntsville median income sat exactly at $54,342. SmartAsset found that, according to 2021 numbers, Huntsville’s new median falls around $70,757. The survey also found that, of the 10 places where income rose the most over that two-year stretch, Huntsville has the highest percentage of households earning $100,000 per year (14.97%).

This is specifically impressive for Huntsville, as the period between 2019-2021 represents a rather shaky time for the U.S. economy, marked by incredible “ups” and “downs” in national industries. What separates Huntsville, of course, has been the explosive real estate growth, growing tech and cyber industry, the defense industry and its proximity to Redstone, and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.

Although the news about the United States Space Command still burns local residents and leadership, the city of Huntsville has plenty to be proud of and a high possibility of more accolades on the way.

SmartAssets methodology for the survey was quite impressive. The study examined data from cities with an overall population of 200,000 or higher, and utilized population data from the U.S. Census Bureau 1-Year American Community Survey for 2021. Household median income was totalized from the 1-Year American Community Surveys from 2019 and 2021.

Other cities in the top five included Moreno Valley, CA; Winston-Salem, NC; and Toledo, OH.

For more information or to read the full study, please visit smartasset.com/data-studies/where-income-increased-most-2023.