Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Leesburg grades A− overall, 103rd of 249 graded towns in Virginia. Natural-hazard risk is low. The median household earns $145K and residents are healthier than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $849K for a typical one and 6.7 times the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. Leesburg’s trail density is 1.6 miles per square mile, where Virginia’s towns sit at 0.7 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Its National Register listings include Loudoun County Courthouse and Gen. George C. Marshall House. Leesburg's schools outperform 88% of the state's.
Where Leesburg beats most towns.
Loudoun County Courthouse is one of 2 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 1,691 in 1850, a low of 1,130 in 1860, 48,250 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1863 and 6 maps from 1944 on.
17 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Leesburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Leesburg. Close and well known come first.
Big draw32 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw32 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw31 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw31 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw32 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw18 mi LandmarkMount Weather Emergency Operations CenterWhite 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 · Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center: Unknown, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Leesburg, 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 Leesburg.
Leesburg fares better on crime within Virginia than nationally and trades workers with Reston and other neighbors, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Virginia.
At 6.7 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income, the typical home (about $849K) costs more against local pay than in 89% of Virginia towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $6,176, against $2,790 across Virginia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Leesburg’s median rent is $2,105 a month, above both the Virginia town median ($1,760 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). The typical Leesburg home is worth about $849,000, up 2.7% in a year, about twice the Virginia typical home.
| Leesburg | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,105 a month | $1,760 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A for schools comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $849K.
Its public schools are run by the Loudoun County Public Schools. Three of its 20 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smart's Mill MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 885 | C |
| Heritage HighLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 1,475 | A− |
| John W. Tolbert Jr. ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 617 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
20 miles of trail in 18 parks and preserves. Ida Lee Park, at 139 acres with 2.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ida Lee Park | 2.6 mi | 139 |
| 2. Edwards Landing Park | 1.7 mi | 48 |
| 3. Washington & Old Dominion Regional Park | 1.6 mi | 34 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 3,114 U.S. towns with household incomes like Leesburg’s, it is healthier than 54%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
32% of Leesburg adults sleep under 7 hours. Leesburg beats the Virginia average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 11% of Leesburg adults report frequent physical distress.
| Leesburg | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 36% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Leesburg | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with COPD | 4.2% | 6.2% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.2% | 6.1% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 72.9% | 76.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 94% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Leesburg.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 25.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 52% of Virginia’s graded towns.
The property crime rate in Leesburg is 15.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Leesburg | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15.7 per 1,000 residents | 14.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Leesburg has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 25° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Leesburg has about as many jobs (23,180) as working residents, but only 3,134 people both live and work here. 27.7% of workers work from home, against 18.3% across Virginia.
Most working residents leave Leesburg for work: only 12% work in town. 28% of workers work from home in Leesburg. Jobs based in Leesburg grew to 23,180 in 2023, 4,805 more than in 2013.
| Leesburg | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 28% | 17% | 11% |
| Median household income | $145,000 | $101,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.6% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
2 within 15 miles of the center of Leesburg
About 6 of every 100 Leesburg residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
42,616 counted in 2010 and 48,250 in 2020; an estimated 49,917 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
17 places in Leesburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
17 notable people were born in Leesburg.
Town in Virginia, United States
Leesburg is a town in and the county seat of Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. It is part of both the Northern Virginia region of the state and the Washington metropolitan area, including Washington, D.C., the nation's capital. European settlement in the area began around 1740, when it was named for the Lee family, early colonial leaders of the town. Located in the far northeast of the state, in the War of 1812 it was a refuge for important federal documents evacuated from Washington, D.C., and in the Civil War, it changed hands several times. Leesburg is 33 miles (53 km) west-northwest of Washington, D.C., along the base of Catoctin Mountain and close to the Potomac River. The town …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Leesburg grades A− overall, better than 78% of U.S. towns and #103 of 249 in Virginia. It grades A for health, C for safety and A 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−.
17 notable people were born here, including Hugh Henry Breckenridge and Stevens T. Mason.
