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Wolf Trap vs Oakton

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: household income (+56% in Wolf Trap) and rent (+54% in Wolf Trap).

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Wolf Trap, VAKnown for its schoolsVirginia · 15,858 people
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Oakton, VAHomes around $1.1MVirginia · 36,528 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 $450 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.

Wolf Trap$7,150/mo
Typical home $1.2M (Census) · tax rate 0.83%+ · or rent about $3,501/mo · Housing →
Oakton$6,690/mo
Typical home $1.1M (Zillow) · tax rate 1.03% · or rent about $2,276/mo · Housing →

The difference: $450 a month, about $5,500 a year, between Wolf Trap and Oakton.

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.

Where they are

Wolf Trap and Oakton share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Wolf TrapOaktonWolf TrapOakton
Wolf Trap ↔ Oakton3.5 miles apart · They share a border
Report cards

Wolf Trap 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
Wolf TrapOakton
Snow a year6″21″
January low26°F25°F
July high88°F88°F
Growing season (days)202d194d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)26th17th
Outdoors & history
Wolf TrapOakton
Conserved land17.3%9.7%
National Register places—1
Archive photos3012
Famous people born here—5
Community
Wolf TrapOakton
Library hours a week—54 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.

Wolf TrapOakton
People
Population 15,858Lowest 36,528Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2.3%Lowest VA: +7.9% +7.5%Highest VA: +7.9%
Median age 45.1±1.8Highest 16% above VA 40.1±1.4Lowest about the VA average
Kids under 18 26.7%±2.1Highest VA: 21.7% 22.2%±1.6Lowest VA: 21.7%
Age 65+ 19.6%±1.4Highest VA: 16.7% 16.4%±1.4Lowest VA: 16.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 85.1%Highest VA: 42.2% 74.5%Lowest VA: 42.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.2%±1.2Lowest VA: 6.9% 8.4%±1.7Highest VA: 6.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $250,001Highest 168% above VA $160,663±$8kLowest 72% above VA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,204,000±$34kHighest 214% above VA $792,100±$38kLowest 106% above VA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $3,501Highest 122% above VA $2,276±$61Lowest 44% above VA
Property taxmedian, yearly $10,000+Highest at least 258% above VA $8,123Lowest 191% above VA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 62.4%±12.3Highest VA: 48.5% 36.4%±5.6Lowest VA: 48.5%
Below poverty line 3.1%Lowest VA: 9.9% 4.6%Highest VA: 9.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 96.3%Highest VA: 67.3% 66.6%Lowest VA: 67.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1980Lowest 4 yrs older than VA 1983Highest 1 yr older than VA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 30 minHighest 11% above VA 29 minLowest 8% above VA
Work from home 45.3%±4.8Highest VA: 18.3% 34.1%±2.4Lowest VA: 18.3%
Work in townworking residents 1.8%Lowest 3.1%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.8 miHighest 9.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.22Lowest 0.63Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Washington (14%)Washington (15%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in OaktonFew work in Wolf Trap
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 17.3%Highest 9.7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 25.4 miHighest 18.1 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.6 miHighest 1.9 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 16Lowest 17Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 42.6Lowest 84.2Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #1 of 219 in VA#20 of 219 in VA
School district Fairfax County Public SchoolsFairfax County Public Schools
High school in town None in townOakton High
Students per teacherat that high school — 13.6
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.

Wolf Trap neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wolf Trap’s Town Square.

Oakton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Oakton’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Wolf Trap and Oakton

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Bordering Wolf Trap

Towns like Wolf Trap

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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