Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town has 22,532 residents and lies in Virginia.
The everyday basics are strong; the price of a home is the catch. Its strongest is incomes — the median household earns $163K. What holds it back is cost of living (C−): the typical home is worth about $637K, 5 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. Overall, that makes an A+, better than 95% of U.S. towns. In the ranking it comes 17th of 249 in Virginia. The biggest park or preserve is Accotink Stream Valley Park, at 242 acres. West Springfield’s density of trails is 2.2 miles per square mile, above both Virginia’s towns (0.7) and U.S. towns (0.4). The town’s median rent is $2,455 a month, against $1,760 a month in Virginia’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns.
Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · OpenStreetMap.
Where West Springfield beats most towns.
| Widest gap | West Springfield | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.6% | 11.1% |
16.4% of the town is conserved land, across 11 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far West Springfield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 14,143 in 1970, 23,369 in 2020. The archive holds 22 old photos and papers going back to 2016 and 7 maps from 1900 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Springfield. Close and well known come first.
Big draw13 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw13 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw11 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw12 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw13 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw12 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
West Springfield 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 West Springfield.
West Springfield has less tooth loss than most of Virginia, sends most of its workers to Washington and beyond and has household incomes well above the Virginia norm.
There are 10 miles of trail across 11 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pohick Creek Stream Valley Park | 4.2 mi | 109 |
| 2. Hunter Village Park | 1.1 mi | 19 |
| 3. Hidden Pond Park | 0.8 mi | 25 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Three of its 10 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Public schools: the Fairfax County Public Schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irving MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 1,204 | A |
| West Springfield HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,799 | A− |
| Keene Mill ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 813 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Virginia is tooth loss: 5.6% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.1% statewide. Against the 1,978 U.S. towns with household incomes like West Springfield’s, it is healthier than 70%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
32% of adults feel lonely in West Springfield. In West Springfield, 12% of adults report frequent mental distress, and 8.1% smoke cigarettes.
| West Springfield | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.1% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | West Springfield | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.6% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.4% | 13.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
West Springfield has 2,766 jobs for its 9,787 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
The top destinations are Washington (15%), Springfield (10%) and Arlington (8%). Only 3% of working residents stay in West Springfield for work; the rest commute out. Just over a quarter of West Springfield workers work remotely from home. For half of commuters, work is under 11 miles away.
| West Springfield | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $163,000 | $101,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 26% | 17% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 1.9% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
68% of West Springfield’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by earthquakes at 8%. On expected storm and flood damage, West Springfield sits below 77% of U.S. communities. 12 flood insurance claims have been paid in the town since 2006.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 27° and about 13 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median property tax bill is $6,259, against $2,790 across Virginia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The share of households in West Springfield who own their home: 85%. Homes sold in West Springfield spent a median 35 days on the market. Sellers in West Springfield got 99.8% of the asking price, typically.
| West Springfield | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,455 a month | $1,760 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 85% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
25 within 15 miles of the center of West Springfield
About 6 of every 100 West Springfield residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
Where West Springfield’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in Virginia, United States
West Springfield is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 23,369 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with West Springfield.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Springfield | #17 | A+ | C− | — | B+ | A+ |
| Burke | #58 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Springfield | #115 | B+ | D | — | B+ | A− |
| Newington | #21 | A+ | C− | — | B+ | A |
| Kings Park | #6 | A+ | C | — | B+ | A+ |
| North Springfield | #91 | A− | C− | — | B+ | A |
West Springfield, Burke, Springfield, Newington, Kings Park and North Springfield report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare West Springfield with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. West Springfield grades A+ overall, better than 95% of U.S. towns and #17 of 249 in Virginia. It grades A+ for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $637,000, 55% 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−.
