Photo: Beltway Photos · CC BY 2.0Who polices McLean, and what they report
McLean has no police department of its own: it’s an unincorporated community (a census-designated place) in Fairfax County. The Fairfax County Police Department reports to the FBI for the parts of the county without police of their own, so there are no figures for McLean alone, and no Safety Grade.
What stands out about safety in McLean
Policed by the county
McLean is a census-designated place, with no town government. Crimes there are reported to the FBI inside the Fairfax County Police Department’s totals for the county. County police ↓
Counts, not rates
The FBI doesn’t publish how many people the Fairfax County Police Department covers, so its totals can’t be turned into a per-resident rate or a grade for McLean. County police ↓
The nearest graded towns
The closest Virginia towns with their own police figures are Falls Church (B−, 4 mi), Vienna (B+, 5 mi), Fairfax (C−, 8 mi). Nearby towns can differ a lot from McLean. Nearest ↓
Written from the FBI data on this page. Figures are crimes reported to police, not convictions.
What the Fairfax County Police Department reports
Crimes reported to the FBI for the whole area the department covers, by year.
Reports to the FBI for the parts of Fairfax County without police of their own, which include McLean.
Property crimes
Violent crimes
Also reports crimes in Fairfax County to the FBI.
Property crimes
Violent crimes
2025 offenses reported by the Fairfax County Police Department
Counts, not rates: the FBI doesn’t publish how many people each agency covers. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Tables 10–11.
The nearest Virginia towns with a Safety Grade
Each town’s own police figures, per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
| Town | Grade | Distance | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falls Church | B− | 4 mi | 1.0 | 15.9 |
| Vienna | B+ | 5 mi | 0.9 | 8.6 |
| Fairfax | C− | 8 mi | 1.1 | 29.8 |
| Alexandria | C | 10 mi | 1.9 | 22.3 |
| Herndon | C+ | 11 mi | 2.4 | 15.1 |
| Manassas Park | B+ | 18 mi | 1.2 | 7.6 |
Straight-line distance from the center of McLean. Nearby towns can differ a lot from McLean.
17 people died in crashes on McLean’s roads in 2019–2023
McLean had 15 fatal crashes in five years, in which 17 people died; 1 was a pedestrian and 1 was a cyclist. 6 died in crashes on an Interstate.
That is 6.9 deaths per 100,000 residents a year, above the median for Virginia towns of 25,000–100,000 people (3.9, 38 towns).
Deaths are counted where the crash happened, not where the people lived: a highway through town adds through-traffic deaths, and residents’ own risk on roads elsewhere isn’t here. Town rates sit below state and U.S. rates because a third of fatal crashes happen outside any town. Road safety is described here and is not part of the Safety Grade. Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023.
McLean and its neighbors
How reported crime compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its safety page.
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Falls | — | — | — |
| Wolf Trap | — | — | — |
| Pimmit Hills | — | — | — |
| Idylwood | — | — | — |
| Tysons | — | — | — |
| Arlington | — | — | — |
| Falls Church | B− | 1.0 | 15.9 |
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. Great Falls, Wolf Trap, Pimmit Hills, Idylwood, Tysons and Arlington are unincorporated communities (census-designated places) with no police department of their own.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- It’s reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many crimes are never reported to police.
- A county agency covers a wide area. Its totals mix many communities, so they say little about any one of them.
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn’t report a full year, not that nothing happened.
How the grade is calculated, for every town: How TownRatings grades safety →
Questions about safety in McLean
Is McLean, VA safe?
There is no Safety Grade for McLean. McLean has no police department of its own: it’s an unincorporated community (a census-designated place) in Fairfax County. The Fairfax County Police Department reports to the FBI for the parts of the county without police of their own, so there are no figures for McLean alone, and no Safety Grade. The nearest Virginia towns with a grade are Falls Church (B−, 4 mi), Vienna (B+, 5 mi), Fairfax (C−, 8 mi).
Who polices McLean?
The Fairfax County Police Department. McLean is an unincorporated community, and the department reports to the FBI for the parts of Fairfax County without police of their own.
Heads-up board
Neighbors looking out for each other in McLean.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Please don’t name or describe individuals. In an emergency, call 911.
Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, and state and national rates. Counts are crimes reported to police, not convictions. The Safety Grade is our own summary of that data, not an official rating. Road deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023. This isn’t an official statement of public safety. In an emergency, call 911.