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Compare towns

Dranesville vs Reston

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (24.1× in Reston) and jobs per worker (14.3× in Reston).

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Dranesville, VAOne of the healthiest townsVirginia · 11,828 people
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Reston, VAAn outdoors townVirginia · 64,414 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $690 more a month in Dranesville

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.

Dranesville$4,500/mo
Typical home $745K (Census) · tax rate 0.96% · or rent about $3,187/mo · Housing →
Reston$3,810/mo
Typical home $625K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.02% · or rent about $2,231/mo · Housing →

The difference: $690 a month, about $8,300 a year, between Dranesville 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.

Where they are

Dranesville and Reston share a border

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

DranesvilleRestonDranesvilleReston
Dranesville ↔ Reston3.3 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
631 Dranesville residents work in Reston (11.2% of its workers)
Work & commute in Dranesville →
Report cards

Dranesville places higher on 10 of 20 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.

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
DranesvilleReston
Snow a year21″21″
January low25°F25°F
July high88°F88°F
Growing season (days)194d194d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)29th10th
Outdoors & history
DranesvilleReston
Trails2 mi46 mi
Conserved land11.7%12.6%
Settled—1964
National Register places12
Archive photos11—
Famous people born here—25
Community
DranesvilleReston
Library hours a week—65 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

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.

DranesvilleReston
People
Population 11,828Lowest 64,414Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -1.1%Lowest VA: +7.9% +8.3%Highest VA: +7.9%
Median age 39.8±2.8Lowest about the VA average 40.1±1.4Highest about the VA average
Reston and Dranesville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 23.8%±3Highest VA: 21.7% 18.6%±1.3Lowest VA: 21.7%
Age 65+ 15.7%±1.1Lowest VA: 16.7% 16.2%±0.9Highest VA: 16.7%
Reston and Dranesville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 75.2%Highest VA: 42.2% 72%Lowest VA: 42.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6%±1.7Highest VA: 6.9% 5.8%±0.8Lowest VA: 6.9%
Dranesville and Reston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $214,688±$14kHighest 130% above VA $148,710±$8kLowest 60% above VA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $744,500±$31kHighest 94% above VA $642,000±$15kLowest 67% above VA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $3,187±$195Highest 102% above VA $2,231±$54Lowest 41% above VA
Property taxmedian, yearly $7,161Highest 157% above VA $6,573Lowest 136% above VA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 52.1%±17.4Highest VA: 48.5% 35.7%±4Lowest VA: 48.5%
Dranesville and Reston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 2.8%Lowest VA: 9.9% 5.7%Highest VA: 9.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 93.1%Highest VA: 67.3% 60.6%Lowest VA: 67.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1984 same as VA 1984 same as VA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 29 minHighest 5% above VA 26 minLowest 5% below VA
Work from home 39.7%±4.1Highest VA: 18.3% 33.5%±2.6Lowest VA: 18.3%
Dranesville and Reston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 2.1%Lowest 14%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.3 miHighest 8.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.16Lowest 2.29Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Reston (11%)Washington (10%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 11% work in RestonFew work in Dranesville
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 11.7%Lowest 12.6%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 1.9 miLowest 45.7 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miLowest 2.9 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 6Lowest 33Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 70.4Lowest 81.3Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #168 of 219 in VA#109 of 219 in VA
School district Fairfax County Public SchoolsFairfax County Public Schools
High school in town Herndon HighSouth Lakes High
Students per teacherat that high school 11.6Lowest 11.7Highest
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.

Dranesville neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Dranesville’s Town Square.

Reston neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Reston’s Town Square.

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Bordering Dranesville

Towns like Dranesville

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.

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