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Compare towns

Herndon vs Wolf Trap

6 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (8.9× in Herndon) and home values (2× in Wolf Trap).

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Herndon, VAHomes around $726KVirginia · 24,672 people
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Wolf Trap, VAKnown for its schoolsVirginia · 15,858 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 $2,670 more a month in Wolf Trap

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 →
Wolf Trap$7,150/mo
Typical home $1.2M (Census) · tax rate 0.83%+ · or rent about $3,501/mo · Housing →

The difference: $2,670 a month, about $32,000 a year, between Wolf Trap 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

Wolf Trap places higher on 13 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
HerndonWolf Trap
Snow a year21″6″
January low25°F26°F
July high88°F88°F
Growing season (days)194d202d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)8th26th
Outdoors & history
HerndonWolf Trap
Trails5 mi25 mi
Conserved land5.8%17.3%
Settled1858—
National Register places2—
Archive photos530
Community
HerndonWolf Trap
Library hours a week54 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.

Where they are

6 miles apart

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

HerndonWolf TrapHerndonWolf Trap
Herndon ↔ Wolf Trap6.0 miles apart
Who commutes between them
132 Wolf Trap residents work in Herndon (1.9% of its workers)
Work & commute in Wolf Trap →
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.

HerndonWolf Trap
People
Population 24,672Highest 15,858Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +5.9%Highest VA: +7.9% +2.3%Lowest VA: +7.9%
Median age 35.1±1.2Lowest 10% below VA 45.1±1.8Highest 16% above VA
Kids under 18 23.2%±2.4Lowest VA: 21.7% 26.7%±2.1Highest VA: 21.7%
Wolf Trap 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% 19.6%±1.4Highest VA: 16.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 53.2%Lowest VA: 42.2% 85.1%Highest VA: 42.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8%±1.8Highest VA: 6.9% 4.2%±1.2Lowest 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 $1,204,000±$34kHighest 214% above VA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,259±$80Lowest 43% above VA $3,501Highest 122% 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% 62.4%±12.3Highest VA: 48.5%
Below poverty line 8.1%Highest VA: 9.9% 3.1%Lowest VA: 9.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 62.1%Lowest VA: 67.3% 96.3%Highest VA: 67.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1983Highest 1 yr older than VA 1980Lowest 4 yrs older than VA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minLowest about the VA average 30 minHighest 11% above VA
Work from home 21.2%±3.1Lowest VA: 18.3% 45.3%±4.8Highest VA: 18.3%
Work in townworking residents 6.2%Highest 1.8%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miLowest 9.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.95Highest 0.22Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Reston (9%)Washington (14%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Wolf Trap2% work in Herndon
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5.8%Lowest 17.3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 5.0 miLowest 25.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.2 miLowest 2.6 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 12Lowest 16Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 118Highest 42.6Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #193 of 219 in VA#1 of 219 in VA
School district Fairfax County Public SchoolsFairfax County Public Schools
High school in town None in townNone in town
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.

Wolf Trap neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wolf Trap’s Town Square.

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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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