Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,450.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Laurel Hill grades A overall, 65th of 249 graded towns in Virginia. It has 18 miles of trail and 46% conserved land. The median household earns $156K and residents are healthier than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $696K for a typical one and 5.5 times the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. 46% of the land in Laurel Hill is conserved, above both the Virginia town median (4.6%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Laurel Hill is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns. The biggest place to walk is Laurel Hill Park, 910 acres with 15.5 miles of trail.
Where Laurel Hill beats most towns.
6,855 counted in 2010 and 8,307 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Laurel Hill is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 8%), so the A overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1818 and 7 maps from 1913 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Laurel Hill. Close and well known come first.
Big draw17 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw17 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw15 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw16 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw17 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw16 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
Laurel Hill is unincorporated, so Fairfax 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 Laurel Hill.
Laurel Hill keeps more of its land conserved than most of Virginia, has less tooth loss than most of Virginia and sends most of its workers to Washington and beyond.
Its 1,310 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in any other Virginia town. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #1 of 253 in Virginia.
At 4.0 miles per square mile, Laurel Hill’s trail density is above both Virginia’s towns (0.7) and U.S. towns (0.4).
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Laurel Hill Park | 15.5 mi | 910 |
| 2. Occoquan Regional Park | 1.8 mi | 430 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Fairfax County Public Schools. Its three schools are below. The largest public high school is South County High, with 2,106 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| South County MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 943 | A− |
| South County HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,106 | B |
| Laurel Hill ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 743 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Virginia is tooth loss: 4.2% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.1% statewide. Against the 2,407 U.S. towns with household incomes like Laurel Hill’s, it is healthier than 80%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
24% of adults have obesity in Laurel Hill. Laurel Hill beats the Virginia average on 22 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 12% of adults report frequent mental distress in Laurel Hill.
| Laurel Hill | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 12% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.3% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Laurel Hill | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.2% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 3.4% | 6.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Laurel Hill has 949 jobs for its 3,448 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. 36.9% of workers work from home, against 18.3% across Virginia.
Most working residents leave Laurel Hill for work: only 2% work in town. 37% of Laurel Hill workers work from home. Since 2013, Laurel Hill has lost 147 jobs, to 949 in 2023.
| Laurel Hill | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 37% | 17% | 11% |
| Median household income | $156,000 | $101,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.2% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Laurel Hill has chilly winters and warm summers. The July high in Laurel Hill is 88°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 2008, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Laurel Hill.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The median property tax bill is $7,038, against $2,790 across Virginia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Laurel Hill’s median rent is $2,413 a month.
| Laurel Hill | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,413 a month | $1,760 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
9 within 15 miles of the center of Laurel Hill
About 6 of every 100 Laurel Hill residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
Where Laurel Hill’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in Virginia, United States
Laurel Hill is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population at the 2020 census was 8,307. Formerly part of the Lorton CDP, it comprises most of what was formerly the Lorton Reformatory grounds, which were purchased by Fairfax County in 2002 following the prison's closing and redeveloped as a new suburban community. The name "Laurel Hill" was adopted from Laurel Hill House, an 18th-century structure which had served as the residence of the Superintendent of the Reformatory, and originally was the home of Revolutionary War patriot William Lindsay.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Laurel Hill.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurel Hill | #65 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Newington Forest | #19 | A+ | C | — | B+ | A+ |
| Lorton | #116 | B+ | D | — | B+ | A− |
| Crosspointe | #56 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Occoquan | — | — | C | — | B | B− |
Occoquan has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Laurel Hill, Newington Forest, Lorton, Crosspointe and Occoquan report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Laurel Hill with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Laurel Hill grades A overall, better than 88% of U.S. towns and #65 of 249 in Virginia. It grades A+ for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $696,000, 69% 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 D.
