Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 15,858.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Wolf Trap grades A overall, 52nd of 249 graded towns in Virginia. The median household earns $250K. Residents are healthier than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $1.2 million for a typical one and 9.5 times the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. 85% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Wolf Trap, where Virginia’s towns sit at 44% and U.S. towns at 29%. On the outdoors, just 19 of Virginia’s 372 towns do better. Difficult Run Stream Valley Park, at 406 acres with 4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Wolf Trap beats most towns.
17.3% of the town is conserved land, across 16 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Wolf Trap 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 13%), so the A overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 9,875 in 1980, 16,496 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 1826 and 7 maps from 1915 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wolf Trap. Close and well known come first.
Big draw13 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw14 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw12 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw13 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw14 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw13 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
Wolf Trap 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 Wolf Trap.
Wolf Trap has less tooth loss than most of Virginia and sends most of its workers to Washington and beyond, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Virginia.
25 miles of trail in 16 parks and preserves. The trail density in Wolf Trap is 2.6 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Difficult Run Stream Valley Park | 4 mi | 406 |
| 2. Clarks Crossing Park | 3 mi | 142 |
| 3. Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park | 1.9 mi | 31 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Fairfax County Public Schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colvin Run ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 750 | A+ |
| Wolftrap ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 529 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Virginia is tooth loss: 3.7% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.1% statewide. Against the 436 U.S. towns with household incomes like Wolf Trap’s, it is healthier than 52%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
11% of adults report frequent mental distress in Wolf Trap. Wolf Trap beats the Virginia average on 24 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 9.5% of adults report frequent physical distress in Wolf Trap.
| Wolf Trap | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.2% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Wolf Trap | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.7% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.1% | 13.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Wolf Trap has 1,544 jobs for its 7,036 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. 45.3% of workers work from home, against 18.3% across Virginia.
3.1% of Wolf Trap residents live below the poverty line. Among 253 Virginia towns, just 6 have a higher median household income than Wolf Trap. 45% of Wolf Trap workers work from home.
| Wolf Trap | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 45% | 17% | 11% |
| Median household income | $250,000 | $101,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.1% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 74% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Wolf Trap.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Wolf Trap has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 26° and about 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 9.5 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 99% of Virginia towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
Wolf Trap’s median rent is $3,501 a month. Among 253 Virginia towns, just 4 have a higher share of households owning their home than Wolf Trap.
| Wolf Trap | 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
29 within 15 miles of the center of Wolf Trap
About 4 of every 100 Wolf Trap residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
Where Wolf Trap’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in Virginia, United States
Wolf Trap is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Wolf Trap had a population of 16,496. Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts is located in the CDP.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Wolf Trap.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolf Trap | #52 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Vienna | #45 | A | D | B+ | B+ | A+ |
| Oakton | #18 | A+ | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Tysons | #55 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Reston | #35 | A | C− | — | B+ | A+ |
| McLean | #47 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Difficult Run | #46 | A | C− | — | B+ | A+ |
| Great Falls | #66 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
Wolf Trap, Oakton, Tysons, Reston, McLean, Difficult Run and Great Falls report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Wolf Trap with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Wolf Trap grades A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns and #52 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 $1,204,000, 192% 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.
