Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 11,930.
Few places in the country grade higher. Wakefield earns an A, ranked 37th of 249 in Virginia. The median household earns $238K, residents are healthier than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and it has 13 miles of trail. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $862K, 6.8 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. 74% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Wakefield, above both Virginia’s towns (44%) and U.S. towns (29%). Wakefield is home to Northern Virginia Community College. Wakefield is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 83% of U.S. towns.
Where Wakefield beats most towns.
18.6% of the town is conserved land, across 12 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Wakefield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2014 and 6 maps from 1945 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wakefield. Close and well known come first.
Big draw12 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw12 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw10 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw11 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw13 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw11 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
Wakefield 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 Wakefield.
Wakefield has less tooth loss than most of Virginia and is one of Virginia’s best towns for the outdoors, but it has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #8 of 253 in Virginia.
The biggest place to walk is Wakefield Park, 513 acres with 10.4 miles of trail. Across 12 parks and preserves: 13 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wakefield Park | 10.4 mi | 513 |
| 2. Long Branch Stream Valley Park | 0.5 mi | 87 |
| 3. Willow Woods Park | 0.2 mi | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Public schools: the Fairfax County Public Schools. Of its 3 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canterbury Woods ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 735 | A+ |
| Wakefield Forest ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 626 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Virginia is tooth loss: 4% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.1% statewide. Against the 511 U.S. towns with household incomes like Wakefield’s, it is less healthy than 56%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
4.8% of Wakefield adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Only 10 of the 253 Virginia towns we compare have a lower share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Wakefield. Also worth knowing: on the CDC’s 32 measures, Wakefield is ahead of Virginia on 22 and behind on 1.
| Wakefield | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.8% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.8% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Wakefield | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.7% | 13.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.5% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The national flood insurance program has paid 10 claims in Wakefield since 1978. On expected storm and flood damage, Wakefield sits below 85% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts 65% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 11% to hurricanes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here fell from 2,445 in 2013 to 1,574. 29.6% of workers work from home, against 18.3% across Virginia.
The top destinations are Washington (14%), Arlington (9%) and Springfield (8%). Only 2% of working residents stay in Wakefield for work; the rest commute out. Since 2013, Wakefield has lost 871 jobs, to 1,574 in 2023. The share of workers in Wakefield who work remotely from home: 30%.
| Wakefield | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $238,000 | $101,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 30% | 17% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 1.8% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Summers in Wakefield are warm, and winters chilly. Summer afternoons peak near 87° in July, and January nights bottom out around 27°; snowfall runs to about 13 inches a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
28 within 15 miles of the center of Wakefield
About 6 of every 100 Wakefield residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
Census-designated place in Virginia, United States
Wakefield is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2010 census was 11,275. The current Wakefield area was built in the 1950-60's.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Wakefield.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wakefield | #37 | A | C− | — | B+ | A+ |
| Long Branch | #4 | A+ | C+ | — | B+ | A+ |
| Annandale | #120 | B+ | D | — | B+ | B+ |
| Woodburn | #87 | A− | D− | — | B+ | A+ |
| Ravensworth | — | — | C | — | B+ | A+ |
| Kings Park | #6 | A+ | C | — | B+ | A+ |
Ravensworth has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Wakefield, Long Branch, Annandale, Woodburn, Ravensworth and Kings Park report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Wakefield with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Wakefield grades A overall, better than 93% of U.S. towns and #37 of 249 in Virginia. It grades A+ for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
