Household incomes in South Riding top those of 98% of U.S. towns
30% of workers have no commute at all (Virginia 18%). 3.8% of residents are in poverty, against 9.9% across Virginia. For jobs and income South Riding is better than 94% of U.S. towns (A); for walkability it is more walkable than 76% of U.S. towns (A−).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
South Riding and work: the main findings
No single place dominates South Riding’s commute
The biggest draw, Chantilly, gets only 6% of working residents, and 55% work outside the top ten towns entirely. South Riding residents fan out across the region. The commute map ↓
South Riding draws workers from far and wide
The 5,196 jobs in South Riding are filled from a wide area. South Riding’s own residents hold 15% and the ten next-biggest home towns 18%; the other 67% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Home offices are common in South Riding
30% of South Riding workers work from home, against 18% across Virginia. Time on the road ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside South Riding
76% of South Riding residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 55% of the jobs based in South Riding pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 96% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
South Riding workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 33 minutes each way, against 27 across Virginia. Over a year that’s about 253 hours of commuting, 46 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
The four measures behind South Riding’s grade
Household income is its strongest input ($196,403, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns. It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, South Riding could be anywhere from A to A+.
6% of working residents work in Chantilly
Where South Riding clocks in
6% of workers
6% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Each way, about 33 minutes from South Riding
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of South Riding workers work from home, vs 18% across Virginia. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 13,574 commuters (the 30% who work from home are left out). Across Virginia: 83% drive alone, 3% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Health, schools and offices: most of the jobs in South Riding
5,196 jobs are based in South Riding.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in South Riding, 2014 → 2024: 3,881 → 5,196. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs South Riding’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily flow of workers through South Riding
On a workday 16,455 residents head out to work, 774 work right here, and 4,422 people come in from elsewhere.
About 22,000 people are in South Riding on a workday afternoon, 35% fewer than live here.
0.30 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
The distance from South Riding to work
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
South Riding is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 3.0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 5.7% across Virginia.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 19,507 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 1.8% of South Riding households have no vehicle (Virginia 6.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of South Riding’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 1,255 U.S. towns of 24,000 to 46,000, South Riding comes 129th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| 2 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 8 | Oakton VA | 36,528 | $161K | 4.6% | 1.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 15 | Short Pump VA | 29,026 | $139K | 3.6% | 1.7% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 69 | Brambleton VA | 24,537 | $238K | 3.5% | 3.2% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 127 | Keystone FL | 25,858 | $161K | 3.9% | 3.2% | 5% | A |
| 128 | Scarborough ME | 24,547 | $134K | 4.4% | 2.2% | 18% | A |
| 129 | South Riding VA | 34,352 | $196K | 3.8% | 3.8% | 4% | A |
| 130 | Madison MS | 28,575 | $119K | 4.8% | 2.0% | 8% | A |
| 131 | Gahanna OH | 35,986 | $109K | 5.6% | 2.6% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,255 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 25% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of South Riding, the top three, the last and three more from Virginia.
Next door to South Riding
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | South Riding workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Riding | – | A | A− | 33 min | $196,403 |
| Stone Ridge | under 3% | A+ | A− | 32 min | $187,563 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of South Riding’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in South Riding: questions
What is the median household income in South Riding?
$196,403 (±$8,378) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $93,170 across Virginia and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in South Riding?
3.8%, against 9.9% across Virginia and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from South Riding?
33 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Virginia and 26 nationally. 30% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in South Riding work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chantilly (6%, 4 mi), Tysons (6%, 15 mi), Reston (6%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is South Riding walkable?
South Riding is more walkable than 76% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 9.3 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around South Riding without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from South Riding, from the people who make the trip.
More of South Riding
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.