While big cities like Alexandria offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Alexandria. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Alexandria without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Alexandria are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Alexandria area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Alexandria for 2025:
What’s the best suburb of Alexandria? Falls Church ranks as the best suburb of Alexandria for 2025 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Falls Church, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Alexandria ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Virginia:
The 10 Best Alexandria Suburbs To Live For 2025
/10
Population: 14,593
Median Income: $154,734
Unemployment Rate: 6.3%
Poverty Rate: 3.6%
More on Falls Church: Data
Falls Church is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Alexandria area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Falls Church.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $154,734 a year, which is the 4th highest in the Alexandria region. And only 6.32% are out of work. Homes average more than $1,005,400 each.
/10
Population: 2,636
Median Income: $197,589
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
Poverty Rate: 2.1%
More on University Park: Data
University Park is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Alexandria for 2025.
It ranks 3rd for incomes in the area and only 4.46% of residents lack insurance, good for 12th best.
/10
Population: 5,704
Median Income: $216,653
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
Poverty Rate: 2.8%
More on Poolesville: Data
Here in Poolesville, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Alexandria metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Poolesville.
/10
Population: 6,428
Median Income: $135,888
Unemployment Rate: 1.6%
Poverty Rate: 3.1%
More on Chesapeake Beach: Data
Chesapeake Beach ranks as the 4th best suburb of Alexandria for 2025.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Chesapeake Beach and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 16,369
Median Income: $223,571
Unemployment Rate: 4.6%
Poverty Rate: 5.4%
More on Vienna: Data
Coming in as the fifth best is Vienna.
Vienna gets kudos for having the 2nd most expensive homes in the Alexandria area, where houses sell for an average of $961,100. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
I have lived all over the country from the mid-west to up and down the coats and Vienna, VA has been our favorite place. Vienna is a Wonderful area where there is a bit of everything. Great place to raise kids in a small town environment while being just 20 minutes away from the nation’s capital. Access to everything while being far away from the big city inconveniences that we all forget about.
It’s a close knit community where neighbors know each other and take pride in their town. The community is involved in a lot of activity planning and involved deeply in keeping the town beautiful.
/10
Population: 2,248
Median Income: $149,698
Unemployment Rate: 6.4%
Poverty Rate: 6.6%
More on Kensington: Data
Kensington is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 6.45%.
According to online reports, Kensington is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Alexandria area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 57,771
Median Income: $141,831
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
Poverty Rate: 4.1%
More on Bowie: Data
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Bowie.
Bowie schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 20.7 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 672,079
Median Income: $106,287
Unemployment Rate: 6.5%
Poverty Rate: 14.5%
More on Washington: Data
Washington is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 3.41% of people lack insurance, good for 6th in the area.
I lived in downtown DC close to George Washington University. There were little to no crimes. There were many bars and clubs close by.
I liked going to Josephine and Ultra bar. There are are some nice places to eat in Georgetown.
/10
Population: 10,470
Median Income: $121,707
Unemployment Rate: 3.2%
Poverty Rate: 3.5%
More on La Plata: Data
Is ‘Everything Better In La Plata?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 67,218
Median Income: $122,384
Unemployment Rate: 3.7%
Poverty Rate: 7.9%
More on Rockville: Data
And rounding out the top ten for 2025 is Rockville.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Alexandria for 2025
Figuring out the best suburbs around Alexandria was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2019-2023 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Alexandria.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 33 suburbs to evaluate around Alexandria.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 33 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Alexandria.” We’re lookin’ at you, Falls Church.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2025. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Alexandria suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Alexandria ‘Burbs of 2025
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Alexandria are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Alexandria but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more Virginia reading, check out:
Table: Best Alexandria Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Falls Church, VA | 14,593 | $154,734 | $1,005,400 |
| 2 | University Park, VA | 2,636 | $197,589 | $610,100 |
| 3 | Poolesville, VA | 5,704 | $216,653 | $672,300 |
| 4 | Chesapeake Beach, VA | 6,428 | $135,888 | $438,300 |
| 5 | Vienna, VA | 16,369 | $223,571 | $961,100 |
| 6 | Kensington, VA | 2,248 | $149,698 | $919,400 |
| 7 | Bowie, VA | 57,771 | $141,831 | $442,000 |
| 8 | Washington, VA | 672,079 | $106,287 | $724,600 |
| 9 | La Plata, VA | 10,470 | $121,707 | $405,200 |
| 10 | Rockville, VA | 67,218 | $122,384 | $658,300 |
| 11 | Takoma Park, VA | 17,522 | $97,872 | $721,500 |
| 12 | Fairfax, VA | 24,478 | $132,774 | $677,400 |
| 13 | Herndon, VA | 24,529 | $141,418 | $568,700 |
| 14 | Cheverly, VA | 6,107 | $117,633 | $466,500 |
| 15 | Gaithersburg, VA | 69,225 | $107,496 | $484,500 |
| 16 | Mount Rainier, VA | 8,235 | $68,281 | $522,100 |
| 17 | Manassas Park, VA | 16,923 | $100,668 | $381,200 |
| 18 | Hyattsville, VA | 20,861 | $94,231 | $463,500 |
| 19 | Indian Head, VA | 3,982 | $84,898 | $258,900 |
| 20 | Glenarden, VA | 6,320 | $96,875 | $411,900 |
| 21 | Manassas, VA | 42,674 | $117,919 | $434,700 |
| 22 | Laurel, VA | 29,594 | $94,063 | $367,300 |
| 23 | Berwyn Heights, VA | 3,306 | $145,833 | $411,700 |
| 24 | New Carrollton, VA | 13,544 | $80,292 | $378,300 |
| 25 | Riverdale Park, VA | 7,249 | $104,583 | $447,000 |
| 26 | Capitol Heights, VA | 4,014 | $91,938 | $294,700 |
| 27 | Brentwood, VA | 3,753 | $70,573 | $413,100 |
| 28 | Forest Heights, VA | 2,619 | $96,434 | $346,800 |
| 29 | College Park, VA | 34,397 | $74,867 | $429,000 |
| 30 | Seat Pleasant, VA | 4,515 | $54,076 | $296,600 |
| 31 | Greenbelt, VA | 24,572 | $86,352 | $258,600 |
| 32 | Bladensburg, VA | 9,552 | $62,400 | $330,400 |
| 33 | Dumfries, VA | 5,749 | $78,373 | $303,700 |