Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
With 41,705 residents, this town was settled in 1837.
Where it does best is walkability: it is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns. Overall, Annandale earns a B+, which places it 120th of 249 in Virginia. Set against the rest, it does better than 72% of U.S. towns. Schools are another plus — its schools outperform 74% of the state's. What holds it back is cost of living — the typical home is worth about $743K, 5.9 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. The town’s trail density is 1.8 miles per square mile, against 0.7 in Virginia’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. This Virginia town is home to Arizona College of Nursing-Falls Church. Holmes Run Acres Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · OpenStreetMap · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Annandale beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Annandale is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 96% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 13%), so the B+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 27,405 in 1970, 43,363 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1863 and 7 maps from 1900 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Annandale. Close and well known come first.
Big draw10 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw9 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw8 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw8 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw10 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw9 mi National MemorialLincoln Memorial7.7M visitors a yearWhite House: This image or media was taken or created by Matt H. Wade. To see his entire port, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Washington Monument: Oren Rozen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Arlington National Cemetery: Protoant, Public domain · United States Triumphal Arch: Hstoops, CC0 · Smithsonian Institution: Highsmith, Carol M., 1946-, photographer, Public domain · Lincoln Memorial: Aerial_view_of_Lincoln_Memorial_-_east_side.jpg: Carol M. Highsmith derivative w, Public domain
Annandale is unincorporated, so Fairfax County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Annandale.
Annandale trades workers with Washington and other neighbors, but it scores below Springfield and its other neighbors on health and has property taxes about twice the Virginia norm.
The median property tax bill is $6,663, against $2,790 across Virginia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
A home in Annandale typically sold within 11 days of listing. The typical home value in the town is about $743,000, up 1.8% in a year, 80% above the Virginia typical home. In Annandale, the typical rent is $1,933 a month.
| Annandale | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,933 a month | $1,760 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Three of its 18 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. Public schools: the Fairfax County Public Schools. 6 public schools serve Annandale, with 3,769 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Braddock ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 955 | D |
| Annandale HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,161 | B |
| Thomas Jefferson High for Science and TechnologyTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,108 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Count the trails in 17 parks and preserves and they come to 14 miles. The biggest place to walk is Mason District Park, 120 acres with 4.6 miles of trail. Parks and preserves in Annandale: 17, covering 311 acres.
| Annandale | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.8 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.5% | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mason District Park | 4.6 mi | 120 |
| 2. Annandale Community Park | 2 mi | 56 |
| 3. Round Tree Park | 1.1 mi | 19 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Annandale’s natural-hazard score from FEMA stands at 14 of 100. 59% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by earthquakes at 11%. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Annandale once, in 2003.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
All 7 graded neighbors score healthier than its B+, from Springfield (A−) to Wakefield (A+). Against the 6,260 U.S. towns with household incomes like Annandale’s, it is less healthy than 64%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
For adults in Annandale, the share who feel lonely is 35%. CDC measures, 32 in all: Annandale beats Virginia on 8 and trails on 7. Two figures for adults in the town: 18% have been diagnosed with depression, 13% binge drink.
| Annandale | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 34% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 22% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Annandale | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with obesity | 26.3% | 34.5% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.9% | 11.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 14.1% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expect July afternoons of 88° and January nights of 27°, with about 13 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Annandale has about as many jobs (14,775) as working residents, but only 859 people both live and work here.
Annandale’s middle household income comes in at $116,000. Commuting out is the norm in the town: 5% of working residents work locally. Just over a tenth of Annandale residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Washington (12%), Arlington (10%) and Springfield (6%).
| Annandale | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $116,000 | $101,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 20% | 17% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The share of adults 25 and older in Annandale who hold a bachelor’s degree or more: 46%. Age groups here sit within 4 points of the Virginia average. 17% never finished high school.
| Annandale | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 46% | 44% | 29% |
| Median age | 41.4 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 16% | 18% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.8 points. Across Virginia, 50.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 43.1, men 39.4.
| Annandale | VA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.9% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.2% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.6% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.3% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.9% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.4% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.7% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.1% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 16.6% | 8.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 18.2% | 23.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 13.7% | 17.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.9% | 7.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.5% | 23.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 19.1% | 18.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
32 within 15 miles of the center of Annandale
About 7 of every 100 Annandale residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
8 notable people were born in Annandale.
Census-designated place in Virginia, US
Annandale () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population of the CDP was 43,363 as of the 2020 United States census. It is home to the oldest and largest branch of the Northern Virginia Community College system, and to one of the D.C. area's Koreatowns.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Annandale.
All 7 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its B+; Springfield (B+) is closest.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annandale | #120 | B+ | D | — | B+ | B+ |
| West Falls Church | #84 | A− | D | — | B+ | A− |
| Lincolnia | #78 | A | D | — | B+ | A |
| Wakefield | #37 | A | C− | — | B+ | A+ |
| Lake Barcroft | #81 | A | D | — | B+ | A |
| Woodburn | #87 | A− | D− | — | B+ | A+ |
| North Springfield | #91 | A− | C− | — | B+ | A |
| Springfield | #115 | B+ | D | — | B+ | A− |
Annandale, West Falls Church, Lincolnia, Wakefield, Lake Barcroft, Woodburn, North Springfield and Springfield report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Annandale with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Annandale grades B+ overall, better than 72% of U.S. towns and #120 of 249 in Virginia. It grades B+ for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
8 notable people were born here, including Bill Hamid and Glen Scantlebury.
