Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Thoroughfare Gap Battlefield and Heflin's Store is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Plains has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where The Plains beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 275 in 1920, a peak of 484 in 1960, 245 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1928 and 3 maps from 1943 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in The Plains, and how to reach them.
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 The Plains.
The typical The Plains home is worth about $978,000, up 7.2% in a year, more than twice the Virginia typical home.
| The Plains | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 35% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,323 a month | $1,762 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave The Plains for work: only 0% work in town. 5.5% of The Plains residents live below the poverty line, below both Virginia’s towns (7.7%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). The top destinations are Washington (6%), Arlington (6%) and Warrenton (5%).
| The Plains | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 5.5% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 35 to 64 are 59% of residents (39% statewide); children under 18 are 13% of residents (22% statewide). 51% of The Plains adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. The Plains has grown 5.2% since 2020, to 261 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| The Plains | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 45.6 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 51% | 44% | 29% |
59% women, 41% men
About 71 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±8.1 points). Across Virginia, 50.6% of residents are women. Among residents 55 to 64, 68% are men (VA 49%).
| The Plains | VA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 4.9% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.9% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.6% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.3% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.9% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 23.8% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.9% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 4.9% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.9% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.7% | 8.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.6% | 23.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 8.9% | 17.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.1% | 7.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 31.5% | 23.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 19.4% | 18.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 300, single groups can be off by several points
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 76% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Plains has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 25° and about 20 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
29% of adults sleep under 7 hours in The Plains. The Plains beats the Virginia average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 20% of adults get no exercise outside work in The Plains.
| The Plains | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 36% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 8.1% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | The Plains | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.1% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.1% | 13.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around The Plains. Close and well known come first.
Big draw40 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw40 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw38 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw39 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw15 mi LandmarkMount Weather Emergency Operations Center
18 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 · Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center: Unknown, Public domain · Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of The Plains
About 7 of every 100 The Plains residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
Where The Plains’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in Virginia, United States
The Plains is a small incorporated town in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States. The population was 245 as of the 2020 census, up from 217 at the 2010 census. It is centered on the intersection of VA 55 (John Marshall Highway) and VA 245 (Old Tavern Road). The town of The Plains is situated off I-66. As of November 2024, the mayor of The Plains is Lori Sisson.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
The Plains has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
