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Compare towns

Herndon vs McLean

11 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (8.6× in McLean) and home values (2.4× in McLean).

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Herndon, VAHomes around $726KVirginia · 24,672 people
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McLean, VAHomes around $1.46MVirginia · 49,627 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 $4,040 more a month in McLean

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.

Herndon$4,480/mo
Typical home $726K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.12% · or rent about $2,259/mo · Housing →
McLean$8,520/mo
Typical home $1.46M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.71%+ · or rent about $3,422/mo · Housing →

The difference: $4,040 a month, about $48,400 a year, between McLean and Herndon.

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.

Report cards

McLean places higher on 13 of 21 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
HerndonMcLean
Snow a year21″6″
January low25°F26°F
July high88°F88°F
Growing season (days)194d202d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)8th18th
Outdoors & history
HerndonMcLean
Trails5 mi43 mi
Conserved land5.8%14.8%
Settled18581910
National Register places27
Archive photos521
Famous people born here—14
Community
HerndonMcLean
Library hours a week54 hrs54 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

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.

Where they are

11 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

HerndonMcLeanHerndonMcLean
Herndon ↔ McLean11 miles apart
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.

HerndonMcLean
People
Population 24,672Lowest 49,627Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +5.9%Highest VA: +7.9% +5.5%Lowest VA: +7.9%
Median age 35.1±1.2Lowest 10% below VA 46.6±0.8Highest 19% above VA
Kids under 18 23.2%±2.4Lowest VA: 21.7% 25.4%±1.4Highest VA: 21.7%
McLean and Herndon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 9.9%±1.3Lowest VA: 16.7% 20.2%±1.1Highest VA: 16.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 53.2%Lowest VA: 42.2% 84.3%Highest VA: 42.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8%±1.8Highest VA: 6.9% 5.2%±0.9Lowest VA: 6.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $148,000±$18kLowest 59% above VA $250,001Highest 168% above VA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $599,100±$24kLowest 56% above VA $1,412,700±$49kHighest 268% above VA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,259±$80Lowest 43% above VA $3,422±$246Highest 117% above VA
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,680Lowest 139% above VA $10,000+Highest at least 258% above VA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 30.4%±6.6Lowest VA: 48.5% 48.7%±7.6Highest VA: 48.5%
Below poverty line 8.1%Highest VA: 9.9% 2.9%Lowest VA: 9.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 62.1%Lowest VA: 67.3% 86.1%Highest VA: 67.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1983Highest 1 yr older than VA 1977Lowest 7 yrs older than VA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minLowest about the VA average 28 minHighest about the VA average
Work from home 21.2%±3.1Lowest VA: 18.3% 38.3%±2.7Highest VA: 18.3%
Work in townworking residents 6.2%Highest 5.9%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miHighest 8.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.95Highest 0.79Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Reston (9%)Washington (21%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in McLeanFew work in Herndon
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5.8%Lowest 14.8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 5.0 miLowest 43.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.2 miLowest 1.7 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 12Lowest 42Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 118Highest 62.7Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #193 of 219 in VA#11 of 219 in VA
School district Fairfax County Public SchoolsFairfax County Public Schools · Falls Church City Public Schools
High school in town None in townMcLean High
Students per teacherat that high school — 13.5
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.

Herndon neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Herndon’s Town Square.

McLean neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Favorite Outdoor Spots in McLean

1 neighbor in McLean can answer.

Add a town

Set another town beside Herndon and McLean

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Bordering Herndon

Towns like Herndon

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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