Best Places20164, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 20164, 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.
20164 ranks 2,115th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 20164
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.
20164's strengths and weaknesses
Where 20164 ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Household income$140,616 median, better than 94% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 91% of zip codes
Where 20164 ranks low
- Cheap childcare$1,632 a month, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 61 pleasant days a year, better than only 10% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 26% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 20164
A household needs to earn about $140,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 20164 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $140,616, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
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 20164's effective rate of 0.82%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 20164
20164 runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 20164.
Who works in 20164, and how
Work in 20164 centers on professional & technical and construction. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 79%
- Work from home 18%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 20164
20164 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 66% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 91% of zip codes. The coast is about 35 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 20164 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 20164, month by month
20164 sees roughly 61 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 47, with lows near 25. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 36° | 25° |
| April | 71° | 57° | 44° |
| July | 91° | 79° | 67° |
| October | 73° | 60° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 20164
Washington Dulles International sits about 6 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 20164
Schools across 20164 average a B, better than 64% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Horizon ElementaryA · 63% proficient
- Countryside ElementaryA · 63% proficient
- Potowmack ElementaryB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- River Bend MiddleA · 66% proficient
- Seneca Ridge MiddleB+ · 48% proficient
- Sterling MiddleC+ · 37% proficient
Top high schools
- Potomac Falls HighA · 77% proficient
- Park View HighB+ · 54% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 20164 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
20164 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 20164 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 20164 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 83% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 18% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 20164
Is 20164 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 20164 ranks 2,115th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low crime, high incomes, and big-city access, and lowest on childcare costs and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 20164 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $535,241. The overall cost of living runs about 25% above the national average. Set against a $140,616 median income, cost of living beats 83% of zip codes.
Is 20164 safe?
Yes, 20164 is safer than 96% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $163 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 20164?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 47 with lows near 25. That works out to about 61 pleasant days a year, more than 10% of zip codes.
Is 20164 good for families?
Schools beat 64% of zip codes, crime safety beats 96%, and childcare runs $1,632 a month.
Compare 20164 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 20164. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 20164 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.
20164 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 20164: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 20164: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 20164: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 20164: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
20164 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.