Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 59/100
C
Median home value$722,600
Washington $579,900
Median rent$2,245/mo
Washington $2,027/mo
Cost-burdened households30%
Washington 31%
Fairfax
Fairfax County25,026 residentsFairfax City Public Schools
67
C+
Suburbgrade score
13th of 60 Washington suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by cost of living.
67
Washington median 64
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Fairfax yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 67 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 Fairfax is like to live in, by category
Bars show Fairfax against Washington. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · inactive
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Within-state proficiency—
Washington median 78th pct
Student–teacher ratio—
Washington median 14.1
Graduation rate—
Washington median 86%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 59/100
C
Housing cost index113
Washington 100
Eff. tax rate0.85%
Washington 0.85%
Local sales tax5.77%
Washington median 5.77%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 64/100
C+
Mean commute28.0 min
Washington 32.4 min
Under 30 minutes51%
Washington 47%
Transit stops / sq mi21
Washington median 6.4 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 92/100
A
Restaurants & cafés200
Washington median 87 · within 2 miles
Groceries15
Washington median 8 · within 2 miles
Parks102
Washington median 85 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 68/100
B−
Median household income$132,348
Washington $126,684
Unemployment3.3%
Washington 4.8%
Professional occupations60%
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 Fairfax 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 Fairfax on cost of living
Fairfax's weakest grade is C. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCost of livingOverall
Silver Spring18 mi from FairfaxA− 65 C+ Washington16 mi from FairfaxA− 67 C+ Chillum19 mi from FairfaxB+ 47 D Bailey's Crossroads9 mi from FairfaxB+ 61 C Lake Ridge11 mi from FairfaxB+ 59 C Montgomery Village24 mi from FairfaxB+ 57 C− Cost-of-living index composed in-house from housing cost, utilities, effective property tax and local sales tax · Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Effective property tax: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Fairfax
Is Fairfax, VA a good place to live?
Fairfax scores 67 out of 100, 13th of 60 Washington suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on cost of living. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Fairfax expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C. The median home is $722,600, 25% above the Washington median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.85%. $2,245/mo is the median gross rent.
How long is the commute from Fairfax?
The mean commute is 28.0 min, with 51% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 29% working from home. Transit density is 21 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Fairfax?
Within two miles there are 15 groceries, 200 restaurants and cafés and 102 parks, which grades A on amenities.
Are the homes in Fairfax old or new?
The median home in Fairfax was built in 1967 — older 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. 71% 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.