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Compare towns

Reston vs Dranesville

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

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Reston, VAAn outdoors townVirginia · 64,414 people
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Dranesville, VAOne of the healthiest townsVirginia · 11,828 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.

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

Reston and Dranesville share a border

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

RestonDranesvilleRestonDranesville
Reston ↔ Dranesville3.3 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
RestonDranesville
Snow a year21″21″
January low25°F25°F
July high88°F88°F
Growing season (days)194d194d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)10th29th
Outdoors & history
RestonDranesville
Trails46 mi2 mi
Conserved land12.6%11.7%
Settled1964—
National Register places21
Archive photos—11
Famous people born here25—
Community
RestonDranesville
Library hours a week65 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.

RestonDranesville
People
Population 64,414Highest 11,828Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +8.3%Highest VA: +7.9% -1.1%Lowest VA: +7.9%
Median age 40.1±1.4Highest about the VA average 39.8±2.8Lowest 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 18.6%±1.3Lowest VA: 21.7% 23.8%±3Highest VA: 21.7%
Age 65+ 16.2%±0.9Highest VA: 16.7% 15.7%±1.1Lowest 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+ 72%Lowest VA: 42.2% 75.2%Highest VA: 42.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.8%±0.8Lowest VA: 6.9% 6%±1.7Highest 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 $148,710±$8kLowest 60% above VA $214,688±$14kHighest 130% above VA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $642,000±$15kLowest 67% above VA $744,500±$31kHighest 94% above VA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,231±$54Lowest 41% above VA $3,187±$195Highest 102% above VA
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,573Lowest 136% above VA $7,161Highest 157% above VA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 35.7%±4Lowest VA: 48.5% 52.1%±17.4Highest 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 5.7%Highest VA: 9.9% 2.8%Lowest VA: 9.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 60.6%Lowest VA: 67.3% 93.1%Highest VA: 67.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1984 same as VA 1984 same as VA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minLowest 5% below VA 29 minHighest 5% above VA
Work from home 33.5%±2.6Lowest VA: 18.3% 39.7%±4.1Highest 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 14%Highest 2.1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.8 miLowest 10.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.29Highest 0.16Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Washington (10%)Reston (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Dranesville11% work in Reston
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 12.6%Highest 11.7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 45.7 miHighest 1.9 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.9 miHighest 0.5 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 33Highest 6Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 81.3Highest 70.4Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #109 of 219 in VA#168 of 219 in VA
School district Fairfax County Public SchoolsFairfax County Public Schools
High school in town South Lakes HighHerndon High
Students per teacherat that high school 11.7Highest 11.6Lowest
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.

Reston neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Reston’s Town Square.

Dranesville neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Dranesville’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Reston

Towns like Reston

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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