Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 64,414, settled in 1964.
Reston is one of the best-graded places in America: an A, ranked 35th of 249 in Virginia. It is healthier than 97% of U.S. towns, the median household earns $149K, and it is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $622K for a typical one and 4.9 times the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. 72% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Reston, above both Virginia’s towns (44%) and U.S. towns (29%). Only 18 of Virginia’s 372 towns score higher on the outdoors. Reston has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Lake Anne Village Center Historic District.
Where Reston beats most towns.
12.6% of the town is conserved land, across 33 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Reston is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 5,722 in 1970, 63,226 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1980 and 7 maps from 1915 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Reston. 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 draw16 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw16 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw18 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
6 mi MuseumSteven F. Udvar-Hazy Center1.6M 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 · Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0
Reston 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 Reston.
Reston draws workers from Arlington and beyond, has less tooth loss than most of Virginia and has household incomes well above the Virginia norm.
45 miles of trail in 33 parks and preserves. Reston’s trail density is 2.9 miles per square mile. Lake Fairfax Park, at 481 acres with 14.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Fairfax Park | 14.2 mi | 481 |
| 2. Fred Crabtree Park | 5.9 mi | 200 |
| 3. Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park | 2.6 mi | 42 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Fairfax County Public Schools. Three of its 21 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hughes MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 1,012 | B |
| South Lakes HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,434 | C+ |
| Sunrise Valley ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 558 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Virginia is tooth loss: 4.7% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.1% statewide.
25% of Reston adults have obesity. Reston beats the Virginia average on 20 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 13% of Reston adults report frequent mental distress.
| Reston | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.6% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.9% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Reston | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.7% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.1% | 13.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
73,299 jobs are based in Reston, 2.3 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 33.5% of workers work from home, against 18.3% across Virginia.
Most working residents leave Reston for work: only 14% work in town. 34% of workers work from home in Reston. Jobs based in Reston grew to 73,299 in 2023, 6,960 more than in 2013.
| Reston | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 34% | 17% | 11% |
| Median household income | $149,000 | $101,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.7% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The median property tax bill is $6,573, against $2,790 across Virginia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The median rent in Reston is $2,231 a month. The typical Reston home is worth about $622,000, about the same as a year ago, 51% above the Virginia typical home.
| Reston | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,231 a month | $1,760 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 36% | 47% | 48% |
| Households that own their home | 61% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 90% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 14 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Reston.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reston has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 26° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
14 within 15 miles of the center of Reston
About 6 of every 100 Reston residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
Where Reston’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Reston on the National Register of Historic Places.
16 notable people were born in Reston.
Census-designated place in Virginia, United States
Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, and a principal city of both Northern Virginia and the Washington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Reston's population was 63,226. Founded in 1964, Reston was influenced by the Garden City movement that emphasized planned, self-contained communities that intermingled green space, residential neighborhoods, and commercial development. The intent of Reston's founder, Robert E. Simon, was to build a town that would revolutionize post–World War II concepts of land use and residential/corporate development in suburban America.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Reston.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reston | #35 | A | C− | — | B+ | A+ |
| Difficult Run | #46 | A | C− | — | B+ | A+ |
| Dranesville | #54 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Wolf Trap | #52 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Great Falls Crossing | — | — | C | — | B+ | A+ |
| Herndon | #108 | A− | C− | C+ | B+ | A |
| McNair | #31 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Franklin Farm | #16 | A+ | C− | — | B+ | A+ |
Great Falls Crossing has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Reston, Difficult Run, Dranesville, Wolf Trap, Great Falls Crossing, McNair and Franklin Farm report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Reston with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Reston grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #35 of 249 in Virginia. It grades A+ for health and B+ 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−.
16 notable people were born here, including Chloe Angelides and Big Pooh.
