City profile · Virginia · Census ACS 2023

Reston, VA

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Reston - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

63,542
Residents
$139,515
Median income
$616,000
Median home
$2,246
Median rent (state)

Reston - the verdict

Nationally, Reston sits in the 92nd percentile for household income among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS.

92nd
percentile, household income
90th
percentile, home value
87th
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Reston, VA

63,542 people live in Reston, Virginia - a small city by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Reston households earn a median of $139,515 annually, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 3.6%. Reston's housing stock carries a median value of $616,000, and the median resident age is 40.2 years. About 70.8% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 70.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

The city is served by 10 public schools according to NCES Common Core of Data.

Virginia tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Virginia scores 101.1 (Near Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $2,246 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $235 across Virginia, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. The average commute for Reston workers runs 18.8 minutes, with 53.0% driving alone and 30.2% working from home. Natural-hazard exposure scores 5.3 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very Low).

Population

63,542 residents

Census ACS 2023 - Virginia

Median Household Income

$139,515 /yr

Poverty 3.6%

Cost of Living Index (state)

101.1 (US=100)

Near Average - BEA RPP 2024, Virginia average

How does Reston compare to other US cities?

Here's how Reston stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 92% higher than other cities
Home value 90% pricier than other cities
Median rent 87% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Reston against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Virginia only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

Virginia-relative analysis

Bachelor's Degree or Higher is Reston's strongest outlier among Virginia cities

Among the 618 Virginia cities PlainCities tracks with reported bachelor's degree or higher data, Reston ranks #57 - the 91st percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Reston only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#88 of 558
84th percentile in Virginia
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 619
75th percentile in Virginia
Median Home Value
#77 of 567
86th percentile in Virginia
Poverty Rate
#367 of 616
39th percentile in Virginia
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#57 of 618
91st percentile in Virginia

Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Virginia only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

92ndIncome percentile

92nd percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Reston's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$616,000 10th percentile more affordable than 10% of 15,600 US cities

$0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). This entry sits in this band. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Reston $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Income distribution context

Household income distribution - Reston, VA Reston, VA's reported median household income shown against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern (not Reston, VA-specific quintile data). The Lorenz curve traces the national cumulative income share against cumulative population share, perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Reston, VA median $139,515/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Reston, VA's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for Reston, VA. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 70.8%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 3.6%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 70.5%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
63,542
Median Income
$139,515
Median Home Value
$616,000
Median Age
40.2
Poverty Rate
3.6%
Labor force participation
70.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
70.8%

Schools

Total Schools
10
Public schools in this city

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
18.8 minutes
Drive Alone
53.0%
Carpool
6.4%
Public Transit
6.3%
Walk
1.8%
Work from Home
30.2%
Other
2.3%

Based on 37,252 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Virginia - EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$115
avg/month
Natural Gas
$70
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$50
avg/month
Total Utilities
$235
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Virginia state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Cost of living is a Virginia state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Reston sits in

Cost of Living Index
101.1
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$2,246/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
5.3 / 100
Very Low
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Reston's 63,542 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide

Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Reston's $139,515 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - Reston, VA Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Reston, VA - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 62.6% 8.7% 11.3% 12.1% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 15.6% White 62.6% Black or African American 8.7% Asian 11.3% American Indian 0.3% Native Hawaiian 0.0% Some other race 5.0% Two or more races 12.1% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.

How Reston compares to nearby Virginia cities

Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).

City Population Median Household Income
Reston (this city) 63,542 $139,515
Centreville 71,885 $143,704
Dale 72,793 $113,245
Harrisonburg 51,492 $59,752
Census ACS 5-year FIPS VA NCES CCD OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Reston, VA?

What is the population of Reston, VA? +

Reston, VA counts 63,542 residents according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Reston, VA? +

In Reston, the typical household earns $139,515 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Reston? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Reston; the closest available measure is the Virginia state average, a cost of living index of 101.1 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Virginia vary by metro area.

What is the median home value in Reston, VA? +

Reston's median home value sits at $616,000, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Verify with HUD →

Verify with FBI →

Verify with NOAA →

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Verify with EPA →

Verify with FEMA →

Verify with BEA →

Verify with EIA →

Verify with NCES →

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.