Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Washington for 2026:
What’s the best suburb of Washington? Falls Church ranks as the best suburb of Washington for 2026 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 Washington ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about District Of Columbia:
The 10 Best Washington Suburbs To Live For 2026
/10
Population: 14,710
Median Income: $143,262
Unemployment Rate: 5.0%
Poverty Rate: 4.0%
More on Falls Church: Data | Movers
Falls Church is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Washington 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 Washington region. And only 4.98% are out of work. Homes average more than $789,603 each.
/10
Population: 16,412
Median Income: $216,953
Unemployment Rate: 4.4%
Poverty Rate: 5.0%
More on Vienna: Data | Movers
Vienna is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Washington for 2026.
It ranks 1st for incomes in the area and only 3.3% of residents lack insurance, good for 7th best.
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: 5,764
Median Income: $205,919
Unemployment Rate: 4.0%
Poverty Rate: 2.8%
More on Poolesville: Data | Movers
Here in Poolesville, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Washington 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.
4. University Park, MD
/10
Population: 2,698
Median Income: $207,500
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
Poverty Rate: 2.1%
More on University Park: Movers
University Park ranks as the 4th best suburb of Washington for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in University Park and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 6,456
Median Income: $138,895
Unemployment Rate: 2.0%
Poverty Rate: 2.8%
More on Chesapeake Beach: Data | Movers
Coming in as the fifth best is Chesapeake Beach.
Chesapeake Beach gets kudos for having the 20th most expensive homes in the Washington area, where houses sell for an average of $462,696. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
6. Kensington, MD
/10
Population: 2,369
Median Income: $152,284
Unemployment Rate: 6.2%
Poverty Rate: 6.3%
More on Kensington: Movers
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 6.22%.
According to online reports, Kensington is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Washington area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 156,976
Median Income: $119,681
Unemployment Rate: 3.3%
Poverty Rate: 7.9%
More on Alexandria: Data | Movers
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Alexandria.
Alexandria 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 6.8 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Alexandria is a wonderful place to live and is one of the best places to find a charming, suburban community so close to downtown washington DC. It is an expensive place to live but it has a strong community, many activities for families, and plenty of amenities.
The Del Ray neighborhood is a wonderful and quaint place to visit a farmer’s market or get a delicious bite to eat. Old Town is vibrant and filled with excellent food and shopping options.
/10
Population: 57,926
Median Income: $141,995
Unemployment Rate: 4.7%
Poverty Rate: 3.8%
More on Bowie: Data | Movers
Bowie 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 3.89% of people lack insurance, good for 9th in the area.
/10
Population: 10,683
Median Income: $121,208
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 6.6%
More on La Plata: Data | Movers
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: 67,671
Median Income: $128,649
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
Poverty Rate: 7.6%
More on Rockville: Data | Movers
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 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 Washington for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Washington 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 Washington.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 36 suburbs to evaluate around Washington.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 36 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 Washington.” 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 Washington suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Washington ‘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 Washington are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Washington but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more District Of Columbia reading, check out:
Table: Best Washington Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Falls Church, DC | 14,710 | $143,262 | $789,603 |
| 2 | Vienna, DC | 16,412 | $216,953 | $1,179,672 |
| 3 | Poolesville, DC | 5,764 | $205,919 | $736,648 |
| 4 | University Park, DC | 2,698 | $207,500 | $658,033 |
| 5 | Chesapeake Beach, DC | 6,456 | $138,895 | $462,696 |
| 6 | Kensington, DC | 2,369 | $152,284 | $815,355 |
| 7 | Alexandria, DC | 156,976 | $119,681 | $676,204 |
| 8 | Bowie, DC | 57,926 | $141,995 | $524,117 |
| 9 | La Plata, DC | 10,683 | $121,208 | $481,282 |
| 10 | Rockville, DC | 67,671 | $128,649 | $618,892 |
| 11 | Takoma Park, DC | 17,632 | $108,136 | $686,398 |
| 12 | Annapolis, DC | 40,720 | $113,860 | $618,837 |
| 13 | Fairfax, DC | 25,026 | $132,348 | $792,535 |
| 14 | North Beach, DC | 2,296 | $83,933 | $416,118 |
| 15 | Herndon, DC | 24,672 | $148,000 | $740,679 |
| 16 | Cheverly, DC | 6,096 | $123,535 | $468,344 |
| 17 | Gaithersburg, DC | 69,825 | $112,467 | $527,608 |
| 18 | Glenarden, DC | 6,344 | $106,414 | $413,332 |
| 19 | Laurel, DC | 29,798 | $100,504 | $476,647 |
| 20 | Indian Head, DC | 4,055 | $89,063 | $345,309 |
| 21 | Dumfries, DC | 5,816 | $82,355 | $596,416 |
| 22 | Berwyn Heights, DC | 3,318 | $146,591 | $440,966 |
| 23 | Manassas, DC | 42,976 | $113,590 | $557,118 |
| 24 | New Carrollton, DC | 13,564 | $81,509 | $399,604 |
| 25 | Mount Rainier, DC | 8,245 | $68,505 | $448,596 |
| 26 | Riverdale Park, DC | 7,270 | $120,043 | $486,910 |
| 27 | Hyattsville, DC | 20,966 | $91,941 | $403,229 |
| 28 | Manassas Park, DC | 16,798 | $103,250 | $462,196 |
| 29 | Forest Heights, DC | 2,642 | $98,734 | $360,243 |
| 30 | College Park, DC | 34,540 | $69,721 | $437,694 |
| 31 | Capitol Heights, DC | 4,020 | $97,155 | $326,171 |
| 32 | Landover Hills, DC | 2,031 | $92,500 | $363,292 |
| 33 | Seat Pleasant, DC | 4,489 | $57,018 | $320,877 |
| 34 | Greenbelt, DC | 24,678 | $85,997 | $285,335 |
| 35 | Brentwood, DC | 3,777 | $69,572 | $395,747 |
| 36 | Bladensburg, DC | 9,583 | $63,179 | $317,187 |
