Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,034.
Few places in the country grade higher. Long Branch earns an A+, 4th among Virginia's 249 graded towns. The median household earns $185K, it is healthier than 96% of U.S. towns, and natural-hazard risk is low. Its lowest mark, a C+, is in cost of living. Long Branch’s median household income is $185,000, above both the Virginia town median ($101,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). Only 33 of Virginia’s 372 towns score higher on the outdoors. The biggest place to walk is Long Branch Stream Valley Park, 66 acres with 2 miles of trail.
Where Long Branch beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Long Branch | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 3.2% | 7.1% |
8.2% of the town is conserved land, across 7 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Long Branch is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 21,634 in 1970, 7,890 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1811 and 7 maps from 1915 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Long Branch. Close and well known come first.
Big draw13 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw13 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw11 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw12 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw14 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw12 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
Long Branch 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 Long Branch.
Long Branch has less utility shut-off threats than most of Virginia and sends most of its workers to Washington and beyond, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Virginia.
4.0 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The trail density in Long Branch is 1.6 miles per square mile.
| Long Branch | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.6 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 8.2% | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Long Branch Stream Valley Park | 2 mi | 66 |
| 2. Rutherford Park | 0.4 mi | 21 |
| 3. George Mason Park | 0.4 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Fairfax County Public Schools. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Woodson High, with 2,436 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frost MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 1,272 | A |
| Woodson HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,436 | B+ |
| Little Run ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 264 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Virginia is utility shut-off threats: 3.2% of its 6,193 adults were threatened with a utility shut-off, against 7.1% statewide. Against the 1,237 U.S. towns with household incomes like Long Branch’s, it is healthier than 57%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
21% of Long Branch adults have obesity. Only 6 of the 253 Virginia towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Long Branch. 32% of Long Branch adults have high blood pressure.
| Long Branch | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.7% | 12% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Long Branch | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 3.2% | 7.1% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 5.3% | 10.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.3% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 91% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Long Branch.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Long Branch has 551 jobs for its 3,076 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here fell from 777 in 2013 to 551.
Most working residents leave Long Branch for work: only 2% work in town. 31% of workers work from home in Long Branch. Since 2013, Long Branch has lost 226 jobs, to 551 in 2023.
| Long Branch | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 31% | 17% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 1.6% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2% | 5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Long Branch has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 26° and about 13 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 6.6 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 88% of Virginia towns; that ratio is one input to its C+ for cost of living. 68.2% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.5% across Virginia.
The median sale price was $1,080,000 in May 2026.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
26 within 15 miles of the center of Long Branch
About 6 of every 100 Long Branch residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
Where Long Branch’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in Virginia, United States
Long Branch is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, bordering the city of Fairfax. The population as of the 2010 census was 7,593.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Long Branch.
At #4 in VA, it grades higher overall than all 6 graded towns on its borders; Mantua (A+) comes closest.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Branch | #4 | A+ | C+ | — | B+ | A+ |
| Wakefield | #37 | A | C− | — | B+ | A+ |
| Fairfax | #164 | B | D | C− | — | A |
| George Mason | – | A− | D | — | B+ | A |
| Kings Park West | #33 | A | C− | — | B+ | A+ |
| Burke | #58 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Mantua | #11 | A+ | C | — | B+ | A+ |
Long Branch, Wakefield, George Mason, Kings Park West, Burke and Mantua report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Long Branch with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Long Branch grades A+ overall, better than 98% of U.S. towns and #4 of 249 in Virginia. It grades A+ for health and B+ for schools.
The typical home is worth about $842,000, 104% 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+.
