Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 6,600 in Virginia.
A well-rated place to live, with prices to match. With an A overall, South Run is better than 87% of U.S. towns. The ranking puts it 76th of 249 in Virginia. On health it is strong: it is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns. It is strong on incomes as well: the median household earns $250K. What holds it back is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $978K, 7.7 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. On the outdoors, just 2 of Virginia’s 372 towns do better. The biggest place to walk is South Run District Park, 190 acres with 3 miles of trail.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · USGS PAD-US · OpenStreetMap.
Where South Run beats most towns.
| Widest gap | South Run | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.6% | 11.1% |
28.5% of the town is conserved land, across 3 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far South Run is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 15%), so the A overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2018 and 2 maps from 1890 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around South Run. Close and well known come first.
Big draw16 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw16 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw14 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw15 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw17 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
South Run 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 South Run.
South Run sends many workers across the state line and has less tooth loss than most of Virginia, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Virginia.
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #3 of 253 in Virginia.
8.3 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. South Run District Park | 3 mi | 190 |
| 2. Lake Mercer Park | 2.6 mi | 158 |
| 3. Burke Lake Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Virginia is tooth loss: 3.6% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.1% statewide. Against the 436 U.S. towns with household incomes like South Run’s, it is healthier than 50%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
81% of South Run adults had a checkup this year. Among 253 Virginia towns, just 8 have a lower share of adults who get no exercise outside work than South Run. South Run: just over one in ten adults report frequent mental distress, where Virginia’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 17%. In South Run, nearly a quarter of adults have obesity, and 6.4% smoke cigarettes.
| South Run | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 34% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.4% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | South Run | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.6% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.1% | 13.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.5% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
23% of working residents cross a state line to work. South Run has 417 jobs for its 2,430 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
The top destinations are Washington (14%), Arlington (8%) and Springfield (8%). Most working residents leave South Run for work: only 1% work in town. Jobs based in South Run grew to 417 in 2023, 169 more than in 2013. Also worth knowing: among residents in the town, 2.1% live below the poverty line.
| South Run | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $250,000 | $101,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 2.1% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.5% | 5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Compared with 73% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in South Run is lower. Since 2006, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out locally. Nearly four fifths of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hurricanes 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
At 7.7 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 96% of Virginia towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $9,896, against $2,790 across Virginia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Only 7 of the 253 Virginia towns we compare have a higher owner-occupancy rate than South Run. The typical rent for South Run comes to $3,501 a month. In South Run, 47% of sales closed above the list price.
| South Run | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,501 a month | $1,760 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 96% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
12 within 15 miles of the center of South Run
About 4 of every 100 South Run residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
Where South Run’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in Virginia, United States
South Run is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, South Run had a population of 6,462.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with South Run.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its A; Burke (A) is closest.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Run | #76 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Crosspointe | #56 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Burke | #58 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Newington Forest | #19 | A+ | C | — | B+ | A+ |
South Run, Crosspointe, Burke and Newington Forest report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare South Run with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. South Run grades A overall, better than 87% of U.S. towns and #76 of 249 in Virginia. It grades A+ for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $979,000, 137% 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 D.
