Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety92#1,208/15,637
Economy93#1,131/15,631
Housing51#7,265/14,977
Health91#1,340/15,609
Healthcare100#1/15,650
Environment68#4,958/15,453
Education100#47/15,649
Infrastructure99#172/15,650
Community100#17/15,651
Leisure & amenities100#15/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Falls Church, Virginia ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Falls Church city value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Traffic deaths · low1.4 /100k
100/100Virginia 10.7 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataFalls Church city value
Dentists · high375 /100k
100/100Virginia 76 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFalls Church city value
Primary care physicians · high336 /100k
100/100Virginia 76 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFalls Church city value
Reading scores · high3.88
100/100Virginia 3.16United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFalls Church city value
Math scores · high3.94
100/100Virginia 3.27United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFalls Church city value
Gyms and fitness centers · high5.9 /10k
100/100Virginia 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFalls Church city value

Weaknesses

Home price to income ratio · high7.4×
5/100Virginia 4.1×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Drought exposure · high79%
13/100Virginia 70%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAFalls Church city value
Job growth · low-1.9%
14/100Virginia -0.2%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataFalls Church city value
Average commute time · high28.7 min
21/100Virginia 27.3 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.456
29/100Virginia 0.472United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Property crime rate · high1,470 /100k
30/100Virginia 1,354 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationFalls Church city value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Public transit commutersWorsening
17.5% (2015-2019) → 7.4% (2020-2024)
−10 pts5 yearsCensus table B08301US 5.0% → 3.2%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
93.7% (2015-2019) → 98.3% (2020-2024)
+4.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New homes permittedWorsening
1.3 /1k (2021) → 1.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−22%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Home price to income ratioWorsening
6.2× (2015-2019) → 7.4× (2020-2024)
+19%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
High school diploma or higherWorsening
98.9% (2015-2019) → 95.4% (2020-2024)
−3.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
77.6% (2015-2019) → 80.5% (2020-2024)
+3 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Falls Church, Virginia improved on 1 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 12 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Broadband+4.6 points93.7% → 98.3%

Declined1

Transit use−10 points17.5% → 7.4%

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Falls Church, Virginia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	29.1 min2015-2019	28.7 min2020-2024	−0.5 min	Within the margin of error	53%
Bachelor's degree or higher	77.6%2015-2019	80.5%2020-2024	+3 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Broadband subscriptions	93.7%2015-2019	98.3%2020-2024	+4.6 points	Improved	29%
Effective property tax rate	1.27%2015-2019	1.15%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	40%
High school diploma or higher	98.9%2015-2019	95.4%2020-2024	−3.5 points	Within the margin of error	9%
Home price to income ratio	6.2×2015-2019	7.4×2020-2024	+1.2×	Within the margin of error	16%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4562015-2019	0.4562020-2024	+0.001	Within the margin of error	50%
Median household income	$127,6102015-2019	$143,2622020-2024	+12%	Within the margin of error	20%
Poverty rate	3.2%2015-2019	4.0%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Public transit commuters	17.5%2015-2019	7.4%2020-2024	−10 points	Declined	2%
Rent as share of income	26.1%2015-2019	27.9%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Rent-burdened households	42.9%2015-2019	43.2%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Unemployment rate	3.9%2015-2019	5.0%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	3.0%2015-2019	2.0%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	58%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Falls Church, Virginia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Falls Church, Virginia in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Falls Church, Virginia itself moved −3.4 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

14,710 residents

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69
50–59
40–49
30–39
20–29
10–19
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under 10 women (−1.7 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

14,710 residents

Falls Church, Virginia
Virginia share

White68%10,005
Black3.5%520
Hispanic or Latino11%1,587
Asian9.1%1,344
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races8.5%1,254

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Other or two or more races (+5.5 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

10,140 residents (±109)

Falls Church, Virginia
Virginia share

No high school diploma4.6%†464
High school or GED4.2%†430
Some college8.0%811
Associate degree2.7%†269
Bachelor's degree29%2,909
Graduate degree52%5,257

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Graduate degree (+9.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

6,273 households (±145)

Falls Church, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $25k4.8%†298
$25k–50k9.1%†569
$50k–75k9.9%†619
$75k–100k9.6%†602
$100k–150k18%1,128
$150k–200k11%670
$200k or more38%2,387

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+7.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

6,273 households (±145)

Falls Church, Virginia
Virginia share

Own53%3,295
Rent47%2,978

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−5.8 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

2,964 households (±248)

Falls Church, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $7503.8%†114
$750–1,0001.1%†34
$1,000–1,5006.7%†

Home values

3,295 homes (±223)

Falls Church, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $150k1.2%†40
$150k–250k3.0%†99
$250k–400k6.3%†206

Age of homes

6,585 homes (±26)

Falls Church, Virginia
Virginia share

2010 or later14%898
2000–200914%921
1980–199912%775

Size of homes

6,585 homes (±26)

Falls Church, Virginia
Virginia share

Studio6.7%†443
1 bedroom22%1,436
2 bedrooms25%1,658

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

7,914 workers (±275)

Falls Church, Virginia
Virginia share

Drive alone49%3,897
Carpool5.7%†454
Public transit7.4%583
Walk3.5%†276
Bike0.8%†62
Work from home33%2,584
Other0.7%†58

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+24.0 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

5,330 workers (±362)

Falls Church, Virginia
Virginia share

Under 15 min18%966
15–29 min39%2,078
30–44 min19%1,022

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Falls Church city, the county holding most of Falls Church's residents.

Falls Church city has 883 employer establishments, 596 for every 10,000 residents (2.40× the US rate of 248; 2.47× Virginia's), with 10,152 paid employees at an average annual pay of $65,314. The Census Bureau also counts 1,732 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 883; 1,732 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 596; US 248 · Virginia 241
Paid employees: 10,152
Average annual pay: $65,314; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Falls Church city by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	126	85.1	4.08×More than typical	1,856	$68,409	91
Restaurants and other eating places	108	72.9	3.97×More than typical	1,340	$28,563	8
Full-service restaurants	57	38.5	5.01×More than typical	683	$33,820	7
Lessors of real estate	43	29	2.36×More than typical	94	$84,447	220
Personal care services	40	27	5.66×More than typical	224	$32,853	25
Management, scientific and technical consulting	39	26.3	3.93×More than typical	760	$123,793	191
Offices of other health practitioners	39	26.3	4.33×More than typical	205	$50,078	57
Limited-service restaurants	37	25	3.12×More than typical	515	$23,796	—
Offices of dentists	31	20.9	5.20×More than typical	206	$71,393	5
Computer systems design and related services	29	19.6	4.52×More than typical	339	$101,431	42
Legal services	27	18.2	3.39×More than typical	73	$87,411	41
Offices of physicians	27	18.2	2.82×More than typical	306	$77,810	16

Rank places for an industry Open Falls Church city

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 14,808 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $38.8M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Falls Church, Virginia: $2,641 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $38.8M; +5.7% vs FY2025
Per resident: $2,641; US $1,995
Sole-source: 24%; US 30%
Single offer: 42%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$8.5M22%
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration$5M13%
Internal Revenue Service$3.8M9.7%
Defense Health Agency$3.7M9.5%
Department of the Air Force$3.3M8.5%
Washington Headquarters Services$3M7.7%
National Institutes of Health$2.9M7.5%
Office of Procurement Operations$1.8M4.5%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

63.7MFY2017
76.6MFY2018
88MFY2019
90.3MFY2020
59MFY2021
69.9MFY2022
45.3MFY2023
49.1M

Top industries (NAICS)

Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$18.3M47%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$5.5M14%
Scientific research and development services · 5417$5.5M14%
Other professional, scientific, and technical services · 5419$2.8M7.3%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$1.7M4.5%

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Falls Church, Virginia

UAS REGISTRATION$39.3M
GENERAL DYNAMICS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, INC.· Falls Church city, VA· IT & telecom· Feb 9, 2017 – Sep 9, 2026· DTFACT15D00003CALL0002
OPERATIONS SUPPORT FOR THE OFFICE OF JOINT CAPABILITY TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION.$30.8M
AMERICAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION· Falls Church city, VA· Research & development· Mar 23, 2023 – Mar 26, 2026· HQ003423F0110
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE (TA) FOR HOME AND COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES (HCBS) AND PREADMISSION SCREENING AND RESIDENT REVIEW (PASRR) PROGRAMS$10.5M
NEW EDITIONS, INC.· Falls Church city, VA· Professional services· Aug 28, 2025 – Aug 28, 2026· 75FCMC25FJ109

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Falls Church, Virginia, so they do not add up across cities.

Falls Church, Virginia's figures are part of those of Falls Church city, VA ($38.8M in FY2026), never added to them: 100% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Falls Church is mostly in Falls Church city.

See federal money in Falls Church city

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Falls Church, Virginia is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Donald S. Beyer, Jr.D-VA-8 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 2.2%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Falls Church city98100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV86

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/5127200

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends