Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 11,828, settled in 1823.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Dranesville grades A overall, 54th of 249 graded towns in Virginia. On CDC health estimates it is near the top nationally. The median household earns $215K. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $744K for a typical one and 5.9 times the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. 75% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Dranesville, above both the Virginia town median (44%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Dranesville is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 80% of U.S. towns. Dranesville Tavern is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Dranesville beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Dranesville | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 2.9% | 11.1% |
Where Dranesville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Dranesville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1862.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dranesville. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw19 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw18 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw18 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw20 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw19 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
Dranesville 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 Dranesville.
Dranesville has less tooth loss than most of Virginia, sends most of its workers to Reston and beyond and has household incomes well above the Virginia norm.
Its widest gap with Virginia is tooth loss: 2.9% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.1% statewide. Against the 789 U.S. towns with household incomes like Dranesville’s, it is healthier than 77%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
15% of adults get no exercise outside work in Dranesville. Dranesville beats the Virginia average on 22 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 6.6% of adults smoke cigarettes in Dranesville.
| Dranesville | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 34% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.6% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Dranesville | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 2.9% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.5% | 13.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Fairfax County Public Schools. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Herndon High, with 2,261 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dranesville ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 610 | D |
| Herndon HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,261 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Dranesville has 917 jobs for its 5,624 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here grew from 527 in 2013 to 917.
Most working residents leave Dranesville for work: only 2% work in town. 40% of Dranesville workers work from home. Since 2013, Dranesville has added 390 jobs, to 917 in 2023.
| Dranesville | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 40% | 17% | 11% |
| Median household income | $215,000 | $101,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2.8% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 2011, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dranesville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1.9 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. Sugarland Run Stream Valley Park, at 200 acres with 1.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sugarland Run Stream Valley Park | 1.5 mi | 200 |
| 2. Folly Lick Stream Valley Park | — | 44 |
| 3. Dranesville Tavern Park | — | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Dranesville has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 26° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median property tax bill is $7,161, against $2,790 across Virginia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Dranesville’s median rent is $3,187 a month.
| Dranesville | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,187 a month | $1,760 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 93% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
10 within 15 miles of the center of Dranesville
About 6 of every 100 Dranesville residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
Census-designated place in Virginia, United States
Dranesville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Dranesville is located on the Leesburg Pike (State Route 7) at its intersection with Georgetown Pike (State Route 193). The U.S. Census Bureau defines Dranesville as a census-designated place (CDP) with a population of 11,921 as of 2010. At the 2020 Census the population was 11,785. The town is named for Washington Drane, a settler who moved there in 1810. Recognizing the traffic that would come to the intersection of two main roads, Drane began operating a combination hotel, tavern and store, which he named Drane's Tavern. Dranesville Tavern still stands and is listed on the National Register of Hist…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Dranesville.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dranesville | #54 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Reston | #35 | A | C− | — | B+ | A+ |
| Herndon | #108 | A− | C− | C+ | B+ | A |
| Great Falls | #66 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
Dranesville, Reston and Great Falls report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Dranesville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Dranesville grades A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns and #54 of 249 in Virginia. It grades A+ for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $745,000, 81% 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 D.
