Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,823, settled in 1842.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Bull Run grades B+ overall, 123rd of 249 graded towns in Virginia. The median household earns $242K. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 97% of the country. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $919K for a typical one and 7.3 times the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. 73% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Bull Run, against 44% in Virginia’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. On the outdoors, just 5 of Virginia’s 372 towns do better. The biggest park or preserve is Elklick Woodlands Natural Area Preserve, at 1,616 acres.
Where Bull Run beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Bull Run Elementary | PK–6 | 766 |
| Virginia Run Elementary | PK–6 | 724 |
| Bull Run Early Childhood Resource Center | PK | 236 |
41.1% of the town is conserved land, across 7 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Bull Run is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2018 and 5 maps from 1951 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bull Run. Close and well known come first.
Big draw25 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw25 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw23 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw23 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw25 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
6 mi MuseumSteven F. Udvar-Hazy Center1.6M 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 · Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0
Bull Run 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 Bull Run.
Bull Run has less tooth loss than most of Virginia and keeps more of its land conserved than most of Virginia, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Virginia (mostly inland flooding).
Its 3,934 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 99% of Virginia towns. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #6 of 253 in Virginia.
25 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. Bull Run’s trail density is 1.7 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bull Run Regional Park | 7.4 mi | 1,141 |
| 2. Manassas National Battlefield Park | 5.9 mi | 434 |
| 3. Elklick Woodlands Natural Area Preserve | 0.3 mi | 1,616 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Fairfax County Public Schools. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bull Run ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 766 | B |
| Ad Fontes Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 180 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Virginia is tooth loss: 3.7% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.1% statewide. Against the 490 U.S. towns with household incomes like Bull Run’s, it is less healthy than 63%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
23% of adults have obesity in Bull Run. Bull Run beats the Virginia average on 22 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 12% of adults report frequent mental distress in Bull Run.
| Bull Run | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.4% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.8% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Bull Run | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.7% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.4% | 13.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here grew from 751 in 2013 to 1,044. 32.4% of workers work from home, against 18.3% across Virginia.
Most working residents leave Bull Run for work: only 2% work in town. The average trip to work in Bull Run is 34 minutes. Since 2013, Bull Run has added 293 jobs, to 1,044 in 2023.
| Bull Run | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $242,000 | $101,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.3% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.2% | 5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Bull Run has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 26° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of Virginia towns, with expected losses of about $657 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
Since 2008, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bull Run.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
6 within 15 miles of the center of Bull Run
About 6 of every 100 Bull Run residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
Where Bull Run’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in Virginia
Bull Run is a census designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It has an area of 14.42 square miles.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Bull Run.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bull Run | #123 | B+ | C− | — | B+ | A+ |
| Centreville | #85 | A− | C− | — | B+ | A |
| Yorkshire | #146 | B | C+ | — | B | B− |
| Sudley | #173 | B− | C | — | B | B− |
| Chantilly | #77 | A | D | — | B+ | A |
| Loch Lomond | #168 | B− | C | — | B | B− |
Bull Run, Centreville, Yorkshire, Sudley, Chantilly and Loch Lomond report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Bull Run with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Bull Run grades B+ overall, better than 72% of U.S. towns and #123 of 249 in Virginia. It grades A+ for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
