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Vienna vs Difficult Run

5 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (8.9× in Vienna) and trails (5.8× in Difficult Run).

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Vienna, VAHomes around $1.17MVirginia · 16,412 people
D ×
Difficult Run, VAAn outdoors townVirginia · 9,938 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 $410 more a month in Vienna

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.

Vienna$7,070/mo
Typical home $1.17M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.99%+ · or rent about $2,391/mo · Housing →
Difficult Run$6,660/mo
Typical home $1.11M (Census) · tax rate 0.90%+ · or rent about $3,066/mo · Housing →

The difference: $410 a month, about $4,900 a year, between Vienna and Difficult Run.

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

Difficult Run places higher on 10 of 18 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
ViennaDifficult Run
Snow a year6″21″
January low26°F25°F
July high88°F88°F
Growing season (days)202d194d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)21st18th
Outdoors & history
ViennaDifficult Run
Trails4 mi22 mi
Conserved land6.3%11.4%
Settled1754—
National Register places11
Archive photos6—
Community
ViennaDifficult Run
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

5 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

ViennaDifficult RunViennaDifficult Run
Vienna ↔ Difficult Run4.8 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.

ViennaDifficult Run
People
Population 16,412Highest 9,938Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +5% VA: +7.9% —
Median age 41.7±1.6Lowest 7% above VA 45.3±1.5Highest 16% above VA
Kids under 18 26.8%±2.3 VA: 21.7% 26.8%±3.9 VA: 21.7%
Age 65+ 15.1%±1.7Lowest VA: 16.7% 18.2%±1.7Highest VA: 16.7%
Difficult Run and Vienna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 74.7%Lowest VA: 42.2% 85.5%Highest VA: 42.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.7%±1.1Lowest VA: 6.9% 4.9%±1.5Highest VA: 6.9%
Difficult Run and Vienna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $216,953±$22kLowest 133% above VA $250,001Highest 168% above VA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,008,800±$52kLowest 163% above VA $1,111,400±$39kHighest 190% above VA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,391±$129Lowest 51% above VA $3,066±$1kHighest 94% above VA
Difficult Run and Vienna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $10,000+ at least 258% above VA $10,000+ at least 258% above VA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 46.2%±14.1Lowest VA: 48.5% 57.4%±30.2Highest VA: 48.5%
Difficult Run and Vienna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 5%Highest VA: 9.9% 1.4%Lowest VA: 9.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 83.7%Lowest VA: 67.3% 97.7%Highest VA: 67.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1971Lowest 13 yrs older than VA 1982Highest 2 yrs older than VA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minLowest 4% below VA 30 minHighest 10% above VA
Work from home 35.4%±2.9Lowest VA: 18.3% 37.2%±6.4Highest VA: 18.3%
Difficult Run and Vienna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 6.5%Highest 2.7%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.8 miLowest 9.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.60Highest 0.18Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Washington (13%)Washington (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Difficult RunFew work in Vienna
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 6.3%Lowest 11.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 3.7 miLowest 21.5 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.8 miLowest 2.6 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 14Highest 9Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 102Highest 32.0Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #45 of 219 in VA—
School district Fairfax County Public Schools—
High school in town None 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.

Vienna neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Vienna’s Town Square.

Difficult Run neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Difficult Run’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Vienna and Difficult Run

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Vienna

Towns like Vienna

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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