Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Fairfax grades B overall, 164th among Virginia's 249 graded towns. It is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns. The median household earns $132K and it is healthier than 87% of U.S. towns. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $775K, 6.1 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. 62% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Fairfax, where Virginia’s towns sit at 44% and U.S. towns at 29%. Fairfax has 6 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Ratcliffe-Logan-Allison House and Fairfax County Courthouse. Only 8 of the 86 Virginia towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Fairfax.
Where Fairfax beats most towns.
Census counts: 376 in 1880, 24,146 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1860 and 7 maps from 1915 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Fairfax is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 12%), so the B overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fairfax. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw14 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw13 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw13 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw15 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw14 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 Fairfax, 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 Fairfax.
Fairfax draws workers from Centreville and beyond, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Virginia and reports property crime at about twice the Virginia rate.
At 6.1 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income, the typical home (about $775K) costs more against local pay than in 82% of Virginia towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $6,515, against $2,790 across Virginia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Fairfax’s median rent is $2,245 a month. The typical Fairfax home is worth about $775,000, up 1.4% in a year, 88% above the Virginia typical home.
| Fairfax | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,245 a month | $1,760 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Fairfax County Public Schools. Two of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 1,165 | B+ |
| Fairfax HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,404 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts
22,275 jobs are based in Fairfax, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 29.1% of workers work from home, against 18.3% across Virginia.
Most working residents leave Fairfax for work: only 7% work in town. The average trip to work in Fairfax is 28 minutes. The top destinations are Washington (10%), Arlington (7%) and Tysons (7%).
| Fairfax | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $132,000 | $101,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
8.4 miles of trail in 18 parks and preserves. Daniels Run Park, at 53 acres with 1.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Fairfax | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.4 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.5% | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Daniels Run Park | 1.3 mi | 53 |
| 2. Providence Park | 0.8 mi | 16 |
| 3. Kutner Park | 0.5 mi | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 4,310 U.S. towns with household incomes like Fairfax’s, it is healthier than 62%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
14% of Fairfax adults report frequent mental distress. Fairfax beats the Virginia average on 14 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 9.1% of Fairfax adults smoke cigarettes.
| Fairfax | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.1% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Fairfax | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.3% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5% | 7.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 88% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 35 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Fairfax.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Property crime runs at 29.2 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Virginia rate, most of it theft.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Fairfax 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
25 within 15 miles of the center of Fairfax
About 9 of every 100 Fairfax residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
Where Fairfax’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in Fairfax on the National Register of Historic Places.
45 notable people were born in Fairfax.
Independent city in Virginia, United States
Fairfax ( FAIR-faks) is an independent city in Virginia and the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,146. Fairfax is part of both the Washington metropolitan area and Northern Virginia regions. It is located 14 miles (23 km) west of Washington, D.C. Fairfax is served by Washington Metro's Orange Line.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Fairfax.
All 6 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its B; George Mason (A−) is closest.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfax | #164 | B | D | C− | — | A |
| George Mason | – | A− | D | — | B+ | A |
| Oakton | #18 | A+ | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Mantua | #11 | A+ | C | — | B+ | A+ |
| Long Branch | #4 | A+ | C+ | — | B+ | A+ |
| Fair Oaks | #60 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Merrifield | #36 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
George Mason, Oakton, Mantua, Long Branch, Fair Oaks and Merrifield report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Fairfax with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Fairfax grades B overall, better than 56% of U.S. towns and #164 of 249 in Virginia. It grades A for health and C− for safety. 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.
45 notable people were born here, including Jason Sudeikis and Ariel Winter.
