Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Falls Church grades A overall, ranked 48th of 249 in Virginia. Few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. Its schools outperform 98% of the state's and it is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $768K for a typical one and 6.1 times the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. 81% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Falls Church, where Virginia’s towns sit at 44% and U.S. towns at 29%. Only 8 of Virginia’s 138 towns score higher on civic life. Falls Church has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Falls Church and Cherry Hill.
Where Falls Church beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Oak Street Elementary | 3–5 | 587 |
| St. James Catholic School | PK–8 | 491 |
| Falls Church Episcopal Day School | PK–K | 110 |
Census counts: 660 in 1880, 14,658 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1845 and 7 maps from 1900 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Falls Church is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 10%), so the A overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Falls Church. Close and well known come first.
Big draw7 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw7 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw6 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw6 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw8 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw7 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 Falls Church, 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 Falls Church.
Falls Church has schools in the top 5% of Virginia, draws workers from Arlington and beyond and has less tooth loss than most of Virginia.
At 6.1 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income, the typical home (about $768K) 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 rent in Falls Church is $2,190 a month. The typical Falls Church home is worth about $768,000, up 1.3% in a year, 86% above the Virginia typical home. 53% of Falls Church households own their home.
| Falls Church | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,190 a month | $1,760 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 53% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #2 of the 250 Virginia towns we grade for schools. Its A+ is the best School Grade on its borders; Arlington (A−) is next.
Its public schools are run by the Falls Church City Public Schools. Three of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Meridian High, with 893 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Ellen Henderson MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 632 | A |
| Meridian HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 893 | A+ |
| Oak Street ElementaryTop results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 587 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Virginia is tooth loss: 4.4% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.1% statewide.
13% of adults report frequent mental distress in Falls Church. Falls Church beats the Virginia average on 20 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 9.2% of adults report frequent physical distress in Falls Church.
| Falls Church | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.2% | 12% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.9% | 12% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | Falls Church | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.4% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.8% | 13.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
9,341 jobs are based in Falls Church, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 32.7% of workers work from home, against 18.3% across Virginia.
Most working residents leave Falls Church for work: only 8% work in town. Falls Church’s median household income is $143,000. Since 2013, Falls Church has added 891 jobs, to 9,341 in 2023.
| Falls Church | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 33% | 17% | 11% |
| Median household income | $143,000 | $101,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Falls Church | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.6% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cherry Hill Park | 0.3 mi | 9 |
| 2. Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park | 0.1 mi | 16 |
| 3. Howard E. Herman Stream Valley Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 84% of U.S. communities. Since 1989, 50 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Falls Church.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Falls Church has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 26° and about 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes fell from 279 to 234 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within Virginia, it does better than 73% of towns.
| Falls Church | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.7 per 1,000 residents | 14.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
36 within 15 miles of the center of Falls Church
About 7 of every 100 Falls Church residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
12,332 counted in 2010 and 14,658 in 2020; an estimated 15,159 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
5 places in Falls Church on the National Register of Historic Places.
28 notable people were born in Falls Church.
Independent city in Virginia, United States
Falls Church is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is part of both Northern Virginia and the Washington metropolitan area. As of 2020, it has a median household income of $146,922, the second-highest household income of any county in the nation behind Loudoun County, Virginia. Taking its name from the Falls Church, an 18th-century parish of the Church of England, later the Episcopal Church, Falls Church gained township status within Fairfax County in 1875. In 1948, it seceded from Fairfax County and was incorporated as the City of Falls Church, an independent city with county-level governance sta…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Falls Church.
Seven Corners next door grades lower for schools (B+ to Falls Church’s A+) and higher for cost of living (B to D).
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falls Church | #48 | A | D | B− | A+ | A+ |
| Idylwood | #41 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| West Falls Church | #84 | A− | D | — | B+ | A− |
| Arlington | #43 | A | D | — | A− | A+ |
| McLean | #47 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Seven Corners | #89 | A− | B | — | B+ | C+ |
Idylwood, West Falls Church, Arlington, McLean and Seven Corners report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Falls Church with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Falls Church grades A overall, better than 92% of U.S. towns and #48 of 249 in Virginia. It grades A+ for health, B− for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Within Virginia, it does better than 73% of towns.
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.
28 notable people were born here, including Taryn Manning and Tom Shadyac.
