Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 25,506, settled in 1858.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Herndon grades A− overall, ranked 108th of 249 in Virginia. It is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 87% of the country and the median household earns $148K. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $722K for a typical one and 5.7 times the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. Herndon’s median household income is $148,000, above both the Virginia town median ($101,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). Herndon has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Herndon Depot and Herndon Historic District.
Where Herndon beats most towns.
Where Herndon’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 Herndon is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 422 in 1880, 24,655 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1933 and 7 maps from 1915 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Herndon. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw20 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw18 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw19 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw20 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
5 mi MuseumSteven F. Udvar-Hazy Center1.6M 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 · Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Herndon, 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 Herndon.
Herndon draws workers from Reston and beyond, fares better on crime within Virginia than nationally and owes part of its health edge to its incomes.
The median property tax bill is $6,680, against $2,790 across Virginia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The median rent in Herndon is $2,259 a month. The typical Herndon home is worth about $722,000, up 0.8% in a year, 75% above the Virginia typical home. 62% of households own their home in Herndon.
| Herndon | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,259 a month | $1,760 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 62% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Fairfax County Public Schools. One of its 6 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herndon MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 895 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
21,757 jobs are based in Herndon, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 16,444 in 2013 to 21,757.
Most working residents leave Herndon for work: only 6% work in town. Since 2013, Herndon has added 5,313 jobs, to 21,757 in 2023. 21% of Herndon workers work from home.
| Herndon | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 21% | 17% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
5.0 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. Herndon’s trail density is 1.2 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Runnymede Park, 55 acres with 1.1 miles of trail.
| Herndon | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.2 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.8% | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park | 1.6 mi | 29 |
| 2. Runnymede Park | 1.1 mi | 55 |
| 3. Bruin Park | 0.4 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 2,881 U.S. towns with household incomes like Herndon’s, it is less healthy than 53%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Herndon beats the Virginia average on 14 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4.
| Herndon | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 34% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 79% | 79% |
| What stands out | Herndon | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with COPD | 4.1% | 6.2% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.6% | 11.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 12.4% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 92% of U.S. communities. Since 2000, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Herndon.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Herndon 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
At 24.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 55% of Virginia’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
9 within 15 miles of the center of Herndon
About 8 of every 100 Herndon residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
2 places in Herndon on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Herndon.
Town in Virginia, United States
Herndon is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Located in Northern Virginia, it is part of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. In 2020, the population at the census was 24,655, which makes it the largest of three incorporated towns in the county.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Herndon.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herndon | #108 | A− | C− | C+ | B+ | A |
| Dranesville | #54 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| McNair | #31 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Reston | #35 | A | C− | — | B+ | A+ |
| Hutchison | #124 | B+ | C− | — | B+ | B |
| Oak Grove | — | — | C− | — | A | A+ |
Oak Grove has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Dranesville, McNair, Reston, Hutchison and Oak Grove report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Herndon with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Herndon grades A− overall, better than 77% of U.S. towns and #108 of 249 in Virginia. It grades A for health, C+ for safety and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
