Best Washington suburbs for young professionals

Ranked on employment and income at 25%, amenities at 25%, commute at 20%, median rent at 15% (lower is better) and cost of living at 15%. Schools are not counted.

Updated Sep 2026·60 suburbs considered, 10 listed

Arlington$895k median · 26.2 min commute

Employment BAmenities A+Commute B−

Score
overall 73 B

Alexandria$735k median · 28.4 min commute

Employment B−Amenities A+Commute C+

Score
overall 64 C+

Leesburg$668k median · 25.3 min commute

Employment BAmenities A−Commute B−

Score
overall 72 B−

Images of Bethesda, Maryland, including the Bethesda Meetinghouse, Madonna of the Trail statue, NIH campus, downtown area, Bethesda Avenue, Bethesda Theater, an

Bethesda$1.17M median · 27.7 min commute

Employment B+Amenities ACommute C+

Score
overall 73 B

Washington$737k median · 30.0 min commute

Employment C−Amenities A+Commute C

Score
overall 67 C+

Reston$642k median · 26.0 min commute

Employment B−Amenities A−Commute B−

Score
overall 70 B−

North Bethesda$732k median · 29.6 min commute

Employment B−Amenities ACommute C+

Score
overall 69 B−

McNair$596k median · 25.0 min commute

Employment BAmenities BCommute B

Score
overall 66 C+

West Falls Church$707k median · 28.7 min commute

Employment C+Amenities ACommute C

Score
overall 69 B−

Herndon$599k median · 27.5 min commute

Employment B−Amenities ACommute C

Score
overall 68 B−

This list's weighting

Employment 25%Amenities 25%Commute 20%Median rent (lower is better) 15%Cost of living 15%

Other Washington lists

Best Washington suburbs for families Most affordable Washington suburbs Best Washington suburbs for schools Shortest commutes to Downtown Washington Most walkable Washington suburbs How we score Washington suburbs →

Photos from Wikimedia Commons: Arlington (Theodore Christopher · CC0); Alexandria (Ben Schumin · CC BY-SA 3.0); Leesburg (Wallygva · CC BY-SA 3.0); Bethesda (westroopnerd · CC BY-SA 4.0); Washington (Ralf Roletschek (talk) - Infos über Fahrräder auf fahrradmonteur.de Wikis in der · CC BY-SA 3.0); McNair (Elvert Barnes · CC BY-SA 2.0); West Falls Church (Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0); Herndon (Dion Hinchcliffe · CC BY-SA 2.0).