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Compare towns

McLean vs Charlottesville

94 miles apart. The biggest differences: household income (3.3× in McLean) and home values (2.9× in McLean).

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McLean, VAHomes around $1.46MVirginia · 49,627 people
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Charlottesville, VAA colonial town, settled 1762Virginia · 45,437 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 $5,470 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.

McLean$8,520/mo
Typical home $1.46M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.71%+ · or rent about $3,422/mo · Housing →
Charlottesville$3,050/mo
Typical home $515K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.80% · or rent about $1,540/mo · Housing →

The difference: $5,470 a month, about $65,600 a year, between McLean and Charlottesville.

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
McLeanCharlottesville
Snow a year6″17″
January low26°F28°F
July high88°F87°F
Growing season (days)202d222d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)18th24th
Outdoors & history
McLeanCharlottesville
Conserved land14.8%10.2%
Settled19101762
National Register places771
Archive photos21—
Famous people born here14—
Community
McLeanCharlottesville
Library hours a week54 hrs68 hrs
Colleges in town—1
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

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

94 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

McLean ↔ Charlottesville94 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.

McLeanCharlottesville
People
Population 49,627Highest 45,437Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +5.5%Lowest VA: +7.9% +7.1%Highest VA: +7.9%
Median age 46.6±0.8Highest 19% above VA 33.1±0.4Lowest 15% below VA
Kids under 18 25.4%±1.4Highest VA: 21.7% 16.5%±1Lowest VA: 21.7%
Age 65+ 20.2%±1.1Highest VA: 16.7% 13.5%±1.1Lowest VA: 16.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 84.3%Highest VA: 42.2% 62.5%Lowest VA: 42.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.2%±0.9Lowest VA: 6.9% 21.7%±1.2Highest VA: 6.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $250,001Highest 168% above VA $74,824±$5kLowest 20% below VA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,412,700±$49kHighest 268% above VA $486,700±$16kLowest 27% above VA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $3,422±$246Highest 117% above VA $1,540±$63Lowest about the VA average
Property taxmedian, yearly $10,000+Highest at least 258% above VA $3,915Lowest 40% above VA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 48.7%±7.6Lowest VA: 48.5% 55.5%±5.2Highest VA: 48.5%
Charlottesville and McLean are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 2.9%Lowest VA: 9.9% 19.6%Highest VA: 9.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 86.1%Highest VA: 67.3% 44.2%Lowest VA: 67.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1977Highest 7 yrs older than VA 1968Lowest 16 yrs older than VA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minHighest about the VA average 17 minLowest 38% below VA
Work from home 38.3%±2.7Highest VA: 18.3% 21.4%±2.4Lowest VA: 18.3%
Work in townworking residents 5.9%Lowest 34%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.8 miHighest 2.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.79Lowest 1.96Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Washington (21%)University of Virginia (17%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in CharlottesvilleFew work in McLean
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 14.8%Highest 10.2%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 43.2 miHighest 23.1 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.7 miLowest 2.3 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 42Highest 28Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 62.7Lowest 117Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #11 of 219 in VA#145 of 219 in VA
School district Fairfax County Public Schools · Falls Church City Public SchoolsAlbemarle County Public Schools · Charlottesville City Public Schools
High school in town McLean HighCharlottesville High
Students per teacherat that high school 13.5Highest 12.5Lowest
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.

McLean neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Favorite Outdoor Spots in McLean

1 neighbor in McLean can answer.

Charlottesville neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Charlottesville’s Town Square.

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Bordering McLean

Towns like McLean

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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