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Compare towns

McLean vs Herndon

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

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McLean, VAHomes around $1.46MVirginia · 49,627 people
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Herndon, VAHomes around $726KVirginia · 24,672 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.

McLean$8,520/mo
Typical home $1.46M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.71%+ · or rent about $3,422/mo · Housing →
Herndon$4,480/mo
Typical home $726K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.12% · or rent about $2,259/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
McLeanHerndon
Snow a year6″21″
January low26°F25°F
July high88°F88°F
Growing season (days)202d194d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)18th8th
Outdoors & history
McLeanHerndon
Trails43 mi5 mi
Conserved land14.8%5.8%
Settled19101858
National Register places72
Archive photos215
Famous people born here14—
Community
McLeanHerndon
Library hours a week54 hrs54 hrs
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

11 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

McLeanHerndonMcLeanHerndon
McLean ↔ Herndon11 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.

McLeanHerndon
People
Population 49,627Highest 24,672Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +5.5%Lowest VA: +7.9% +5.9%Highest VA: +7.9%
Median age 46.6±0.8Highest 19% above VA 35.1±1.2Lowest 10% below VA
Kids under 18 25.4%±1.4Highest VA: 21.7% 23.2%±2.4Lowest 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+ 20.2%±1.1Highest VA: 16.7% 9.9%±1.3Lowest VA: 16.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 84.3%Highest VA: 42.2% 53.2%Lowest VA: 42.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.2%±0.9Lowest VA: 6.9% 8%±1.8Highest VA: 6.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $250,001Highest 168% above VA $148,000±$18kLowest 59% above VA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,412,700±$49kHighest 268% above VA $599,100±$24kLowest 56% above VA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $3,422±$246Highest 117% above VA $2,259±$80Lowest 43% above VA
Property taxmedian, yearly $10,000+Highest at least 258% above VA $6,680Lowest 139% above VA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 48.7%±7.6Highest VA: 48.5% 30.4%±6.6Lowest VA: 48.5%
Below poverty line 2.9%Lowest VA: 9.9% 8.1%Highest VA: 9.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 86.1%Highest VA: 67.3% 62.1%Lowest VA: 67.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1977Lowest 7 yrs older than VA 1983Highest 1 yr older than VA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minHighest about the VA average 28 minLowest about the VA average
Work from home 38.3%±2.7Highest VA: 18.3% 21.2%±3.1Lowest VA: 18.3%
Work in townworking residents 5.9%Lowest 6.2%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.8 miLowest 9.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.79Lowest 1.95Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Washington (21%)Reston (9%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in HerndonFew work in McLean
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 14.8%Highest 5.8%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 43.2 miHighest 5.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.7 miHighest 1.2 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 42Highest 12Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 62.7Lowest 118Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #11 of 219 in VA#193 of 219 in VA
School district Fairfax County Public Schools · Falls Church City Public SchoolsFairfax County Public Schools
High school in town McLean HighNone in town
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.

McLean neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Favorite Outdoor Spots in McLean

1 neighbor in McLean can answer.

Herndon neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Herndon’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside McLean and Herndon

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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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