Best Places20147, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 20147, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
20147 ranks 24th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on high incomes by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 20147
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
20147's strengths and weaknesses
Where 20147 ranks high
- Household income$178,291 median, better than 98% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 97% of zip codes
- School gradeA+, better than 97% of zip codes
Where 20147 ranks low
- Cheap childcare$1,632 a month, better than only 3% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 70 pleasant days a year, better than only 25% of zip codes
- Short commute28.1 minutes each way, better than only 38% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 20147
A household needs to earn about $188,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 20147 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $178,291; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 20147's effective rate of 0.79%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 20147
20147's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 20147.
Who works in 20147, and how
Work in 20147 centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 65%
- Work from home 31%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 20147
20147 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 71% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 80% of zip codes. The coast is about 38 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 20147 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 20147, month by month
20147 sees roughly 70 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 29. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 36° | 29° |
| April | 68° | 56° | 46° |
| July | 89° | 78° | 68° |
| October | 69° | 58° | 49° |
Flying in and out of 20147
Washington Dulles International sits about 7 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 13.9 million passengers in 2025, with 200 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 20147
Schools across 20147 average an A+, better than 97% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Mill Run ElementaryA+ · 87% proficient
- Rosa Lee Carter ElementaryA+ · 87% proficient
- Cedar Lane ElementaryA+ · 78% proficient
Top middle schools
- Stone Hill MiddleA+ · 82% proficient
- Eagle Ridge MiddleA+ · 81% proficient
- Farmwell Station MiddleA+ · 76% proficient
Top high schools
- Riverside HighA+ · 85% proficient
- Stone Bridge HighA+ · 81% proficient
- Briar Woods HighA+ · 80% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 20147 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
20147 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 20147 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 20147 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 97% of zip codes and 31% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 20147
Is 20147 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 20147 ranks 24th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on high incomes, low crime, and population health, and lowest on childcare costs and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 20147 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $720,263. The overall cost of living runs about 22% above the national average. Set against a $178,291 median income, cost of living beats 97% of zip codes.
Is 20147 safe?
Yes, 20147 is safer than 98% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $148 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 20147?
July highs average about 89 degrees, and January highs near 43 with lows near 29. That works out to about 70 pleasant days a year, more than 25% of zip codes.
Is 20147 good for families?
Schools beat 97% of zip codes, crime safety beats 98%, and childcare runs $1,632 a month.
Compare 20147 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 20147. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 20147 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
20147 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 20147: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 20147: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 20147: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 20147: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
20147 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.