Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Dumfries grades B+ overall, 128th among Virginia's 249 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $82K and natural-hazard risk is low. Its lowest everyday mark is in health: residents are less healthy than 65% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. A typical home there costs about $586K, 4.6 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. Dumfries’ average trip to work is 36 minutes, above both Virginia’s towns (27 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Dumfries is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 87% of U.S. towns. Only 13 of Virginia’s 138 towns score lower on civic life.
Where Dumfries beats most towns.
Old Hotel
Census counts: 171 in 1860, 5,679 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1861 and 7 maps from 1927 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Dumfries is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dumfries. Close and well known come first.
Big draw27 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw27 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw25 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw26 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw27 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw26 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dumfries, and how to reach them.
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 Dumfries.
1.6 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. Dumfries’ trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile.
| Dumfries | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cecil W Garrison Park | — | 3 |
| 2. Ginn Memorial Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
| 3. Merchants Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Prince William County Public Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumfries ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 441 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
The typical Dumfries home is worth about $586,000, up 0.8% in a year, 42% above the Virginia typical home. The median rent in Dumfries is $1,732 a month.
| Dumfries | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 78% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,732 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 79% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dumfries.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Dumfries has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 27° and about 12 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
17% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Dumfries. Dumfries beats the Virginia average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 23% of adults worry about having enough food in Dumfries.
| Dumfries | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 8.4% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 12% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 36% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 23% | 25% |
| What stands out | Dumfries | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.8% | 7.7% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 21.2% | 26.2% |
| More uninsured adults | 16.8% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Dumfries has about as many jobs (2,486) as working residents, but only 68 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 36.4 minutes, against 27.3 across Virginia.
Most working residents leave Dumfries for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2013, Dumfries has added 527 jobs, to 2,486 in 2023. 5% of Dumfries residents live below the poverty line.
| Dumfries | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 5% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3% | 5% | 8% |
| Median household income | $82,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Within Virginia, it does better than 76% of towns.
| Dumfries | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.9 per 1,000 residents | 14.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Dumfries
About 9 of every 100 Dumfries residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
4,961 counted in 2010 and 5,679 in 2020; an estimated 6,405 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 12.9% since 2020, after 14.5% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
2 places in Dumfries on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Dumfries.
Town in Virginia
Dumfries ( DUM-freez), officially the Town of Dumfries, is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Dumfries had a population of 5,679.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Dumfries.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dumfries | #128 | B+ | B | B− | B | C |
| Cherry Hill | #125 | B+ | C | — | B | B+ |
| Triangle | #161 | B | C | — | B | B |
Cherry Hill and Triangle report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Dumfries with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Dumfries grades B+ overall, better than 71% of U.S. towns and #128 of 249 in Virginia. It grades C for health, B− for safety and B for schools.
Within Virginia, it does better than 76% of towns.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
11 notable people were born here, including Henry Lee III and Kendall Marshall.
