Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town in Virginia, home to 12,316 people.
Newington Forest does the important things well, at a cost. The town’s overall grade is A+, better than 95% of U.S. towns. In the ranking it comes 19th of 249 in Virginia. Its best grade is for health: residents are healthier than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Incomes are a strength too — the median household earns $149K. The catch is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $592K, 4.7 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. Silverbook Methodist Church is on the National Register of Historic Places. Newington Forest’s going rate for rent is $2,618 a month, above both Virginia’s towns ($1,760 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Newington Forest beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Newington Forest | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.2% | 11.1% |
31.9% of the town is conserved land, across 6 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Newington Forest is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 2018 and 5 maps from 1948 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Newington Forest. Close and well known come first.
Big draw16 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw15 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw14 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw14 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw16 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw15 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
Newington Forest 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 Newington Forest.
Newington Forest 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 widest gap with Virginia is tooth loss: 6.2% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.1% statewide.
Newington Forest: one in ten adults have diabetes. Two figures for adults locally: 13% report frequent mental distress, 9.9% report frequent physical distress.
| Newington Forest | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.9% | 12% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.3% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Newington Forest | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.2% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 3.7% | 6.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Public schools: the Fairfax County Public Schools. Its one school is below. 579 students attend Newington Forest’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newington Forest ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 579 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Its 683 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 98% of Virginia towns.
Newington Forest’s density of trails is 0.9 miles per square mile. Walkers can cover 2.9 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Laurel Hill Park, at 210 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Laurel Hill Park | — | 210 |
| 2. Middle Run Stream Valley Park | 0.1 mi | 93 |
| 3. Pohick Stream Valley Park | 0.1 mi | 92 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Newington Forest has 597 jobs for its 5,655 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here grew from 458 in 2013 to 597.
The share of workers in Newington Forest who work from home: 25%. Most working residents leave Newington Forest for work: only 1% work in town. Jobs in Newington Forest grew by 139 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 597. The town’s typical journey to work stands at 34 minutes.
| Newington Forest | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $149,000 | $101,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 25% | 17% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.1% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Paid flood insurance claims in Newington Forest since 2008: 8. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities. 72% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by heat waves at 7%.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Expect July afternoons of 88° and January nights of 27°, with about 13 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median property tax bill is $6,104, against $2,790 across Virginia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
On the market in Newington Forest: a median 37 days to sell. 90% of households live in a home they own locally. Bidding over the asking price: 29% of homes sold here.
| Newington Forest | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,618 a month | $1,760 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 90% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
13 within 15 miles of the center of Newington Forest
About 7 of every 100 Newington Forest residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
Where Newington Forest’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in Virginia, United States
Newington Forest is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Newington Forest had a population of 12,957. It is part of the Washington metropolitan area. It includes the Newington Forest subdivision and several nearby neighborhoods of southern Springfield and northern Lorton .
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Newington Forest.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newington Forest | #19 | A+ | C | — | B+ | A+ |
| Laurel Hill | #65 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Newington | #21 | A+ | C− | — | B+ | A |
| Burke | #58 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Crosspointe | #56 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| South Run | #76 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
Newington Forest, Laurel Hill, Newington, Burke, Crosspointe and South Run report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Newington Forest with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Newington Forest grades A+ overall, better than 95% of U.S. towns and #19 of 249 in Virginia. It grades A+ for health and B+ for schools.
The typical home is worth about $592,000, 44% 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.
