Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Dale City ranks 117th of 249 in Virginia, with a B+ overall. That leaves it better than 73% of U.S. towns. Incomes are where it shines (A−): the median household earns $112K. What holds it back is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $426K, 3.4 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. Bel Air is on the National Register of Historic Places. The city’s mean commuting time is 37 minutes, above both Virginia’s towns (27 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Dale City is more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns. The biggest place to walk is Andrew Leitch Park, 201 acres with 3.1 miles of trail.
Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · National Register of Historic Places · OpenStreetMap.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Dale City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Where Dale City beats most towns.
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 7 maps from 1927 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Where Dale City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Ordered by what stands out in Dale City.
Dale City sends most of its workers to Washington and beyond and owes part of its health edge to its incomes, but it has property taxes 1.5 times the Virginia norm.
Of the losses FEMA expects in Dale City, 58% come from inland flooding and 13% from heat waves. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in four fifths of U.S. communities. Flood insurance has paid out on 10 claims here since 2006.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Prince William County Public Schools. Two of the 19 schools are below, and why each made the list. 6 public schools serve Dale City, with 3,793 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herbert J. Saunders MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,198 | B− |
| Gar-Field HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,524 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Trails run 9.6 miles in 5 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in Dale City: 5, covering 318 acres. The town’s concentration of trails comes in at 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Dale City | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.3% | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Andrew Leitch Park | 3.1 mi | 201 |
| 2. Greenwood Farms Park | — | 61 |
| 3. John D. Jenkins Neighborhood Park | — | 30 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Dale City has 5,372 jobs for its 30,957 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 37.4 minutes, against 27.3 across Virginia.
For half of commuters, work is under 17 miles away. Since 2013, Dale City has added 979 jobs, to 5,372 in 2023. Most people who work leave Dale City to do it: just 3% work in town. The top destinations are Washington (7%), Arlington (5%) and Alexandria (4%).
| Dale City | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $112,000 | $101,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 14% | 18% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.1% | 5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expect July afternoons of 88° and January nights of 26°, with about 12 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 6,860 U.S. towns with household incomes like Dale City’s, it is less healthy than 71%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
36% of Dale City adults have obesity. CDC measures, 32 in all: Dale City beats Virginia on 5 and trails on 7. Among adults here, 20% have been diagnosed with depression and 36% feel lonely.
| Dale City | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 8.4% | 8.1% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 36% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 22% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 34% | 33% |
| What stands out | Dale City | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.1% | 7.7% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.7% | 6.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 13.7% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
People 65 and older are just over one in ten residents (17% statewide); children under 18 are 27% of residents (22% statewide). In Dale City, the midpoint age is 35.2 years. Here, 34% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree, against 42% in Virginia as a whole.
| Dale City | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 11% | 16% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 27% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 35.2 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 44% | 29% |
50.8% women, 49.2% men
About 97 men for every 100 women. Across Virginia, 50.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 35.3, men 35.1.
| Dale City | VA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.6% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.3% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.8% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.5% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.5% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.6% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.7% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 15.2% | 8.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.6% | 23.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.5% | 17.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.2% | 7.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.1% | 23.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.4% | 18.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The median property tax bill is $4,219, against $2,790 across Virginia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
In Dale City, the median rent is $1,876 a month. For households locally, the share who live in a home they own is 79%. Bidding over the asking price: 27% of homes sold here.
| Dale City | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,876 a month | $1,760 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 79% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dale City. Close and well known come first.
Big draw24 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw23 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw22 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw22 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw24 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw23 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
Dale City is unincorporated, so Prince William 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.
3 within 15 miles of the center of Dale City
About 7 of every 100 Dale City residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
Census-designated place in Virginia, United States
Dale City is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince William County, Virginia, United States, located 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Washington, D.C. As of 2020, the total population was 72,088. The community is roughly bounded by Hoadly Road to the northwest, Prince William Parkway to the north, Smoketown Road to the northeast, Gideon Drive to the east, and Cardinal Drive to the south.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Dale City.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dale City | #117 | B+ | C+ | — | B | B |
| Montclair | #101 | A− | C− | — | B | A |
| Potomac Mills | #157 | B | C− | — | B | B+ |
| County Center | #113 | B+ | C | — | B | B+ |
| Independent Hill | #98 | A− | C | — | B | A |
| Lake Ridge | #83 | A− | C | — | B | A− |
| Leesylvania | #106 | A− | C− | — | B | A |
Dale City, Montclair, Potomac Mills, County Center, Independent Hill, Lake Ridge and Leesylvania report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Dale City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Dale City grades B+ overall, better than 73% of U.S. towns and #117 of 249 in Virginia. It grades B for health and B for schools.
The typical home is worth about $426,000, 3% above the Virginia typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
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