Lake Ridge in pictures
The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 1992 and 7 maps from 1927 on.
Explore the history →Each edition grades its towns against each other only.

Home to 46,049 people, this town lies in Virginia.
Where it does best is incomes: the median household earns $127K. It also does well on health: residents are healthier than 82% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. What counts against it is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $471K, 3.7 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. All told, that adds up to an A− overall and a rank of 83rd of 249 in Virginia. That leaves it better than 85% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Chinn Park, at 40 acres. Lake Ridge’s average commute is 36 minutes, above both Virginia’s towns (27 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). The town is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 78% of U.S. towns.
Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · OpenStreetMap.
Where Lake Ridge beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Lake Ridge | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.9% | 11.1% |
41,058 counted in 2010 and 46,162 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Lake Ridge is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 1992 and 7 maps from 1927 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lake Ridge. Close and well known come first.
Big draw20 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 draw21 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw20 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
Lake Ridge is unincorporated, so Prince William 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 Lake Ridge.
Lake Ridge owes part of its health edge to its incomes, but it has commutes longer than most of Virginia and has property taxes 1.6 times the Virginia norm.
Against the 4,844 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lake Ridge’s, it is healthier than 53%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
The share of adults in Lake Ridge who report frequent mental distress: 15%. Among adults here, 11% report frequent physical distress.
| Lake Ridge | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Lake Ridge | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.9% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.6% | 6.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Prince William County Public Schools. Below: Three of its 14 schools, each with why it was picked. The 6 public schools in Lake Ridge teach 4,046 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Ridge MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,487 | B |
| Woodbridge HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,898 | A |
| Old Bridge ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 505 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
In 2 parks and preserves, walkers have 6.9 miles of trail. Lake Ridge’s concentration of trails is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Lake Ridge | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.6% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Chinn Park | — | 40 |
| 2. Harbor Drive Wellness Park | 0.2 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The average commute for its 19,313 working residents takes 35.7 minutes, against 27.3 across Virginia.
Most people who work leave Lake Ridge to do it: just 4% work in town. This Virginia town had 5,930 jobs in 2023, up 1,204 from 2013. In Lake Ridge, a fifth of workers work from home. Half of commuters travel less than 15 miles.
| Lake Ridge | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 36 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $127,000 | $101,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 20% | 17% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.8% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Lake Ridge’s FEMA risk score comes in at 25 of 100. Expected losses in Lake Ridge break down as 65% from inland flooding and 10% from heat waves. Since 2006, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in the town.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The range runs from 26° on a January night to 88° on a July afternoon, with about 13 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
For adults 25 and older in Lake Ridge, the share who hold a bachelor’s degree or more is 50%. No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Virginia average. In Lake Ridge, the midpoint age is 38 years.
| Lake Ridge | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 50% | 44% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 16% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 25% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 38 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
52% women, 48% men
About 91 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.6 points). Across Virginia, 50.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 38.5, men 37.2.
| Lake Ridge | VA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.3% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.5% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.6% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.4% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.5% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.2% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.2% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.4% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.8% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8% | 8.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 17.2% | 23.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.4% | 17.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.3% | 7.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28.8% | 23.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 21.2% | 18.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The median property tax bill is $4,426, against $2,790 across Virginia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
76% of households own their home here. Lake Ridge’s midpoint rent stands at $2,033 a month. A home in Lake Ridge typically sold within 35 days of listing.
| Lake Ridge | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,033 a month | $1,760 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 68% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 43% | 47% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
5 within 15 miles of the center of Lake Ridge
About 8 of every 100 Lake Ridge residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
Where Lake Ridge’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in the United States
Lake Ridge is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. It is an annex of Woodbridge. As of the 2020 census, Lake Ridge had a population of 46,162.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Lake Ridge.
It grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; County Center (B+) comes closest.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Ridge | #83 | A− | C | — | B | A− |
| Potomac Mills | #157 | B | C− | — | B | B+ |
| County Center | #113 | B+ | C | — | B | B+ |
| Dale City | #117 | B+ | C+ | — | B | B |
| Occoquan | — | — | C | — | B | B− |
| Woodbridge | #155 | B | C | — | B | B− |
Occoquan has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Lake Ridge, Potomac Mills, County Center, Dale City, Occoquan and Woodbridge report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Lake Ridge with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Lake Ridge grades A− overall, better than 85% of U.S. towns and #83 of 249 in Virginia. It grades A− for health and B for schools.
The typical home is worth about $471,000, 14% 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 C.