Alexandria has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Alexandria without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Alexandria: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$143,262 median income · $789,604 median home price
Located in
Falls Church city, Virginia
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 $143,262 a year, which is the 7th highest in the Alexandria region. And only 5.0% are out of work. Homes average more than $789,604 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$216,953 median income · $1,179,673 median home price
Located in
Fairfax County, Virginia
Vienna is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Alexandria for 2026.
It ranks 1st for incomes in the area and only 3.3% of residents lack insurance, good for 6th best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$207,500 median income · $658,034 median home price
Here in University Park, 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 University Park.
$205,919 median income · $736,648 median home price
Poolesville ranks as the 4th best suburb of Alexandria for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Poolesville and the schools are some of the best around.
$138,895 median income · $462,696 median home price
Coming in as the fifth best is Chesapeake Beach.
Chesapeake Beach gets kudos for having the 19th most expensive homes in the Alexandria area, where houses sell for an average of $462,696. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
$152,284 median income · $815,355 median home price
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 6.2%.
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.
$141,995 median income · $524,118 median home price
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.
$121,208 median income · $481,282 median home price
La Plata 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 2.4% of people lack insurance, good for 4th in the area.
$128,649 median income · $618,892 median home price
Is ‘Everything Better In Rockville?’
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.
$108,136 median income · $686,399 median home price
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Takoma Park.
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.
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Virginia’s statewide median.
Virginia statewide median: $93,170
Virginia statewide median: $412,467
Virginia statewide median: 4.3%
Virginia statewide median: 9.9%
On the map
Where the best Alexandria suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Alexandria for 2026
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 2020-2024 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 34 suburbs to evaluate around Alexandria.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 34 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 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Alexandria suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Alexandria Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Falls Church | 7.64 | 14,710 | $143,262 | $789,604 |
| 2 | Vienna | 8.57 | 16,412 | $216,953 | $1,179,673 |
| 3 | University Park | 8.71 | 2,698 | $207,500 | $658,034 |
| 4 | Poolesville | 8.79 | 5,764 | $205,919 | $736,648 |
| 5 | Chesapeake Beach | 9.86 | 6,456 | $138,895 | $462,696 |
| 6 | Kensington | 10.86 | 2,369 | $152,284 | $815,355 |
| 7 | Bowie | 12.93 | 57,926 | $141,995 | $524,118 |
| 8 | La Plata | 13.00 | 10,683 | $121,208 | $481,282 |
| 9 | Rockville | 13.43 | 67,671 | $128,649 | $618,892 |
| 10 | Takoma Park | 13.43 | 17,632 | $108,136 | $686,399 |
| 11 | Fairfax | 14.29 | 25,026 | $132,348 | $792,535 |
| 12 | Herndon | 14.79 | 24,672 | $148,000 | $740,680 |
| 13 | Washington | 15.00 | 681,294 | $109,870 | $582,914 |
| 14 | Gaithersburg | 16.57 | 69,825 | $112,467 | $527,608 |
| 15 | Cheverly | 16.93 | 6,096 | $123,535 | $468,344 |
| 16 | Glenarden | 17.21 | 6,344 | $106,414 | $413,332 |
| 17 | Laurel | 17.86 | 29,798 | $100,504 | $476,648 |
| 18 | Indian Head | 18.57 | 4,055 | $89,063 | $345,309 |
| 19 | Dumfries | 18.71 | 5,816 | $82,355 | $596,416 |
| 20 | Manassas | 19.21 | 42,976 | $113,590 | $557,119 |
| 21 | Berwyn Heights | 19.36 | 3,318 | $146,591 | $440,967 |
| 22 | New Carrollton | 19.79 | 13,564 | $81,509 | $399,605 |
| 23 | Mount Rainier | 19.93 | 8,245 | $68,505 | $448,597 |
| 24 | Hyattsville | 20.57 | 20,966 | $91,941 | $403,229 |
| 25 | Riverdale Park | 20.79 | 7,270 | $120,043 | $486,910 |
| 26 | Manassas Park | 21.00 | 16,798 | $103,250 | $462,197 |
| 27 | Forest Heights | 21.86 | 2,642 | $98,734 | $360,244 |
| 28 | College Park | 23.57 | 34,540 | $69,721 | $437,694 |
| 29 | Capitol Heights | 23.71 | 4,020 | $97,155 | $326,172 |
| 30 | Seat Pleasant | 24.64 | 4,489 | $57,018 | $320,878 |
| 31 | Landover Hills | 24.86 | 2,031 | $92,500 | $363,292 |
| 32 | Greenbelt | 25.71 | 24,678 | $85,997 | $285,336 |
| 33 | Brentwood | 25.86 | 3,777 | $69,572 | $395,747 |
| 34 | Bladensburg | 27.00 | 9,583 | $63,179 | $317,188 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 34 suburbs within 30 miles of Alexandria.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Alexandria ‘Burbs of 2026
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 Falls Church, Vienna, University Park, Poolesville, Chesapeake Beach, Kensington, Bowie, La Plata, Rockville, and Takoma Park.
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. Not sold on Virginia? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Alexandria FAQs
What is the best suburb of Alexandria?
Falls Church is the best suburb of Alexandria for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Vienna and University Park are next.
What are the best suburbs of Alexandria?
The best suburbs of Alexandria are Falls Church, Vienna, University Park, Poolesville, Chesapeake Beach, Kensington, Bowie, La Plata, Rockville, and Takoma Park. We ranked all 34 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Falls Church?
The median household income in Falls Church is $143,262 and the median home costs $789,604. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Alexandria?
Any place within 30 miles of Alexandria qualifies. 34 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Alexandria suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Falls Church, takes the crown.
