Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 46/100
D
Median home value$425,500
Washington $579,900
Median rent$1,876/mo
Washington $2,027/mo
Cost-burdened households30%
Washington 31%
Dale City
Prince William County71,016 residentsPrince William County Public Schools
57
C−
Suburbgrade score
43rd of 60 Washington suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by commute & transport.
57
Washington median 64
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Dale City yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 57 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Dale City is like to live in, by category
Bars show Dale City against Washington. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 68/100
B−
Within-state proficiency—
Washington median 78th pct
Student–teacher ratio15.3
Washington median 14.1
Graduation rate88%
Washington median 86%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 72/100
B−
Housing cost index86
Washington 100
Eff. tax rate0.91%
Washington 0.85%
Local sales tax5.77%
Washington median 5.77%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 21/100
F
Mean commute37.4 min
Washington 32.4 min
Under 30 minutes34%
Washington 47%
Transit stops / sq mi4.0
Washington median 6.4 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 82/100
B+
Restaurants & cafés63
Washington median 87 · within 2 miles
Groceries9
Washington median 8 · within 2 miles
Parks88
Washington median 85 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 53/100
C−
Median household income$111,994
Washington $126,684
Unemployment5.0%
Washington 4.8%
Professional occupations41%
Washington 58%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Dale City yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Dale City on commute & transport
Dale City's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCommuteOverall
McNair21 mi from Dale CityB 66 C+ Arlington21 mi from Dale CityB− 73 B Reston21 mi from Dale CityB− 70 B− Sterling25 mi from Dale CityC+ 69 B− Tysons20 mi from Dale CityC+ 67 C+ Fair Oaks15 mi from Dale CityC+ 65 C+ Mean commute: ACS 2020–24 · Commuting under 30 minutes: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Dale City
Is Dale City, VA a good place to live?
Dale City scores 57 out of 100, 43rd of 60 Washington suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on commute & transport. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Dale City expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $425,500, 27% below the Washington median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.91%. $1,876/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Dale City?
Schools grade B−. The districts serving Dale City sit at the — within-state proficiency percentile, with a 88% graduation rate and a 15.3 student–teacher ratio. Dale City is served by Prince William County Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Dale City?
The mean commute is 37.4 min, with 34% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 14% working from home. Transit density is 4.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Dale City?
Within two miles there are 9 groceries, 63 restaurants and cafés and 88 parks, which grades B+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Dale City old or new?
The median home in Dale City was built in 1983 — close to the Washington median of 1983. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 88% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.