A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Difficult Run$6,660/mo

Typical home $1.11M (Census) · tax rate 0.90%+ · or rent about $3,066/mo · Housing →

Reston$3,810/mo

Typical home $625K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.02% · or rent about $2,231/mo · Housing →

The difference: $2,850 a month, about $34,200 a year, between Difficult Run and Reston.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value; “+” means the Census top-codes that town’s bill at $10,000, so its real rate is higher.

Where they are

Difficult Run and Reston share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

Difficult RunReston

Difficult Run ↔ Reston3.2 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

398 Difficult Run residents work in Reston (8.9% of its workers)

Work & commute in Difficult Run →

Report cards

Difficult Run places higher on 10 of 18 VA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Virginia ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools

B+Difficult RunBetter than 65% of districts in the state B+RestonBetter than 65% of districts in the state

Health

A+Difficult RunHealthier than 99% of U.S. towns A+RestonHealthier than 97% of U.S. towns

10Difficult Run

7Reston

Lists won, of 18 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most walkableOutdoors · 255 towns #211#90 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 255 towns #1#67 Shortest commuteGetting around · 255 towns #177#114 Most affordableCost of living · 251 towns #248#189 Cheapest rentCost of living · 254 towns #239#181 Highest incomeIncome · 255 towns #4#62 Lowest property taxCost of living · 251 towns #248#204 Lowest depressionHealth · 255 towns #29#69

Left end = #1 in Virginia. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Difficult Run’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

Difficult RunReston

Snow a year21″21″

January low25°F 25°F

July high88°F 88°F

Growing season (days)194d 194d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)18th 10th

Outdoors & history

Difficult RunReston

Trails22 mi 46 mi

Conserved land11.4%12.6%

Settled—1964

National Register places1 2

Famous people born here—25

Community

Difficult RunReston

Library hours a week—65 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Virginia average

Difficult RunReston

People

Population 9,938Lowest 64,414Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — +8.3% VA: +7.9%

Median age 45.3±1.5Highest 16% above VA 40.1±1.4Lowest about the VA average

Kids under 18 26.8%±3.9Highest VA: 21.7% 18.6%±1.3Lowest VA: 21.7%

Age 65+ 18.2%±1.7Highest VA: 16.7% 16.2%±0.9Lowest VA: 16.7%

Difficult Run and Reston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 85.5%Highest VA: 42.2% 72%Lowest VA: 42.2%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.9%±1.5Lowest VA: 6.9% 5.8%±0.8Highest VA: 6.9%

Reston and Difficult Run are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $250,001Highest 168% above VA $148,710±$8kLowest 60% above VA

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,111,400±$39kHighest 190% above VA $642,000±$15kLowest 67% above VA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $3,066±$1kHighest 94% above VA $2,231±$54Lowest 41% above VA

Difficult Run and Reston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $10,000+Highest at least 258% above VA $6,573Lowest 136% above VA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 57.4%±30.2Highest VA: 48.5% 35.7%±4Lowest VA: 48.5%

Difficult Run and Reston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 1.4%Lowest VA: 9.9% 5.7%Highest VA: 9.9%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 97.7%Highest VA: 67.3% 60.6%Lowest VA: 67.3%

Typical home builtmedian year 1982Lowest 2 yrs older than VA 1984Highest same as VA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 30 minHighest 10% above VA 26 minLowest 5% below VA

Work from home 37.2%±6.4Highest VA: 18.3% 33.5%±2.6Lowest VA: 18.3%

Difficult Run and Reston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 2.7%Lowest 14%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miHighest 8.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.18Lowest 2.29Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Washington (11%)Washington (10%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 9% work in RestonFew work in Difficult Run

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 11.4%Lowest 12.6%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 21.5 miLowest 45.7 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.6 miLowest 2.9 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 9Lowest 33Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 32.0Lowest 81.3Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#109 of 219 in VA

School district —Fairfax County Public Schools

High school in town —South Lakes High

Students per teacherat that high school — 11.7

Virginia average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Difficult Run neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Difficult Run’s Town Square.

Reston neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Reston’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Difficult Run and Reston

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Difficult Run

+ Compare

Oakton36,528 people · $792K homes

+ Compare

Fair Oaks35,545 people · $608K homes

+ Compare

Franklin Farm18,736 people · $830K homes

+ Compare

Wolf Trap15,858 people · $1.2M homes

Towns like Difficult Run

+ Compare

Vienna16,412 people · $1.01M homes

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Purcellville8,973 people · $654K homes

+ Compare

Falls Church14,710 people · $1.06M homes

+ Compare

Herndon24,672 people · $599K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Difficult Run vs Reston

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $2,850 more a month in Difficult Run

Difficult Run and Reston share a border

Difficult Run places higher on 10 of 18 VA lists

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Difficult Run and Reston

Bordering Difficult Run

Towns like Difficult Run

Post to Difficult Run

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