Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,923.
University Center's standout: 22% of its land is conserved. Overall it grades A, 63rd of 249 graded towns in Virginia. Its public schools beat 88% of Virginia towns on state tests and graduation and residents are healthier than 87% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. University Center’s trail network density is 4.1 miles per square mile, above both the Virginia town median (0.7) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Only 34 of Virginia’s 371 towns score lower on history. The biggest place to walk is Bles Park, 69 acres with 1.4 miles of trail.
Where University Center beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Primrose School of Ashburn | PK–K | 152 |
| Goddard School-Ashburn | PK–K | 106 |
3,586 counted in 2010 and 3,969 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far University Center is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2017 and 7 maps from 1908 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around University Center. Close and well known come first.
Big draw25 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw25 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw24 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw24 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw26 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw24 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
University Center is unincorporated, so Loudoun 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 University Center.
University Center trades workers with Ashburn and other neighbors, is one of Virginia’s best towns for the outdoors and has less heart disease than most of Virginia.
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #7 of 253 in Virginia.
3.7 miles of trail wind through 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bles Park | 1.4 mi | 69 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primrose School of Ashburn PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades PK–K | Grades PK–K | 152 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Virginia is heart disease: 3.3% of its 3,134 adults have heart disease, against 6.1% statewide.
In University Center, 76% of adults had a checkup this year, against 79% in Virginia’s towns and 79% across U.S. towns. For adults locally, the share who have diabetes is 8.3%. The town beats the Virginia average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| University Center | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 33% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.3% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 79% | 79% |
| What stands out | University Center | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 3.3% | 6.1% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.4% | 7.7% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 67.6% | 76.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The natural-hazard score from FEMA for University Center comes to 8 of 100. 62% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 8%. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 92% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 25° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
University Center has about as many jobs (2,198) as working residents, but only 58 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 1,323 in 2013 to 2,198.
Among working residents in University Center, 2.7% work locally. Jobs based in University Center grew to 2,198 in 2023, 875 more than in 2013. Its median household income stands at $121,000. Half commute less than 13 miles.
| University Center | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $121,000 | $101,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.7% | 5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The median property tax bill is $4,356, against $2,790 across Virginia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The going rate for rent is $2,094 a month.
| University Center | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 29% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $2,094 a month | $1,760 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2 within 15 miles of the center of University Center
About 6 of every 100 University Center residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
Census-designated place in Virginia
University Center is a census-designated place (CDP) in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, University Center had a population of 3,969. Mailing addresses in the community are for Ashburn.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with University Center.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Center | #63 | A | C | — | A | A |
| Ashburn | #13 | A+ | C− | — | A | A+ |
University Center and Ashburn report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare University Center with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. University Center grades A overall, better than 89% of U.S. towns and #63 of 249 in Virginia. It grades A for health and A for schools.
The typical home is worth about $508,000, 23% 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.
