Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 47/100
D
Median home value$608,200
Washington $579,900
Median rent$2,275/mo
Washington $2,027/mo
Cost-burdened households34%
Washington 31%
Fair Oaks
Fairfax County35,545 residentsFairfax County Public Schools
65
C+
Suburbgrade score
28th of 60 Washington suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by housing & affordability.
65
Washington median 64
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Fair Oaks yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 65 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 Fair Oaks is like to live in, by category
Bars show Fair Oaks against Washington. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 66/100
C+
Within-state proficiency—
Washington median 78th pct
Student–teacher ratio13.8
Washington median 14.1
Graduation rate86%
Washington median 86%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 71/100
B−
Housing cost index109
Washington 100
Eff. tax rate0.96%
Washington 0.85%
Local sales tax5.77%
Washington median 5.77%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 65/100
C+
Mean commute27.1 min
Washington 32.4 min
Under 30 minutes57%
Washington 47%
Transit stops / sq mi5.7
Washington median 6.4 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 83/100
A−
Restaurants & cafés88
Washington median 87 · within 2 miles
Groceries12
Washington median 8 · within 2 miles
Parks68
Washington median 85 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 63/100
C+
Median household income$123,947
Washington $126,684
Unemployment5.7%
Washington 4.8%
Professional occupations66%
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 Fair Oaks 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 Fair Oaks on housing & affordability
Fair Oaks's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
McLean10 mi from Fair OaksA 72 B− Potomac14 mi from Fair OaksB+ 67 C+ Burke8 mi from Fair OaksB 67 C+ South Riding9 mi from Fair OaksB 68 B− Brambleton12 mi from Fair OaksB 66 C+ Bethesda15 mi from Fair OaksB− 73 B Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Fair Oaks
Is Fair Oaks, VA a good place to live?
Fair Oaks scores 65 out of 100, 28th of 60 Washington suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Fair Oaks expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $608,200, 5% above the Washington median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.96%. $2,275/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Fair Oaks?
Schools grade C+. The districts serving Fair Oaks sit at the — within-state proficiency percentile, with a 86% graduation rate and a 13.8 student–teacher ratio. Fair Oaks is served by Fairfax County Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Fair Oaks?
The mean commute is 27.1 min, with 57% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 29% working from home. Transit density is 5.7 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Fair Oaks?
Within two miles there are 12 groceries, 88 restaurants and cafés and 68 parks, which grades A− on amenities.
Are the homes in Fair Oaks old or new?
The median home in Fair Oaks was built in 1999 — newer than 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. 39% 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.