Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 90/100
A
Median home value$1,412,700
Washington $579,900
Median rent$3,422/mo
Washington $2,027/mo
Cost-burdened households24%
Washington 31%
McLean
Fairfax County49,627 residentsFairfax County Public Schools
72
B−
Suburbgrade score
3rd of 60 Washington suburbs. Strong on housing & affordability and employment & income, held back by cost of living.
72
Washington median 64
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for McLean yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 72 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 McLean is like to live in, by category
Bars show McLean against Washington. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 67/100
C+
Within-state proficiency—
Washington median 78th pct
Student–teacher ratio14.0
Washington median 14.1
Graduation rate86%
Washington median 86%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 60/100
C
Housing cost index146
Washington 100
Eff. tax rate0.96%
Washington 0.85%
Local sales tax5.77%
Washington median 5.77%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 61/100
C
Mean commute28.1 min
Washington 32.4 min
Under 30 minutes52%
Washington 47%
Transit stops / sq mi5.3
Washington median 6.4 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 70/100
B−
Restaurants & cafés55
Washington median 87 · within 2 miles
Groceries5
Washington median 8 · within 2 miles
Parks74
Washington median 85 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 82/100
B+
Median household income$250,000+
Washington $126,684
Unemployment2.3%
Washington 4.8%
Professional occupations79%
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 McLean 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 McLean on cost of living
McLean's weakest grade is C. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCost of livingOverall
Silver Spring10 mi from McLeanA− 65 C+ Washington10 mi from McLeanA− 67 C+ Chillum12 mi from McLeanB+ 47 D Bailey's Crossroads7 mi from McLeanB+ 61 C Lake Ridge19 mi from McLeanB+ 59 C Montgomery Village17 mi from McLeanB+ 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 McLean
Is McLean, VA a good place to live?
McLean scores 72 out of 100, 3rd of 60 Washington suburbs. It is strongest on housing & affordability and weakest on cost of living. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is McLean expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C. The median home is $1,412,700, 144% above the Washington median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.96%. $3,422/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in McLean?
Schools grade C+. The districts serving McLean sit at the — within-state proficiency percentile, with a 86% graduation rate and a 14.0 student–teacher ratio. McLean is served by Fairfax County Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from McLean?
The mean commute is 28.1 min, with 52% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 38% working from home. Transit density is 5.3 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in McLean?
Within two miles there are 5 groceries, 55 restaurants and cafés and 74 parks, which grades B− on amenities.
Are the homes in McLean old or new?
The median home in McLean was built in 1977 — 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. 90% 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.