Best PlacesForest Glen, Arlington, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Forest Glen, Arlington, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Forest Glen, Arlington ranks 1,598th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods 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 Forest Glen, Arlington
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.
Forest Glen, Arlington's strengths and weaknesses
Where Forest Glen, Arlington ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- School gradeA−, better than 91% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 82% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 82% of neighborhoods
Where Forest Glen, Arlington ranks low
- Cheap childcare$2,495 a month, better than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 64 pleasant days a year, better than only 14% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 18% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Forest Glen, Arlington
A household needs to earn about $86,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Forest Glen, Arlington home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $79,635; 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 Forest Glen, Arlington's effective rate of 0.77%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Forest Glen, Arlington
Forest Glen, Arlington'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 Forest Glen, Arlington.
Who works in Forest Glen, Arlington, and how
Work in Forest Glen, Arlington centers on hospitality & food and construction. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 64%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 26%
Life in Forest Glen, Arlington
The coast is about 20 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across Forest Glen, Arlington, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Forest Glen, Arlington, month by month
Forest Glen, Arlington sees roughly 64 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 49, with lows near 30. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 38° | 30° |
| April | 72° | 59° | 48° |
| July | 92° | 81° | 73° |
| October | 74° | 63° | 53° |
Flying in and out of Forest Glen, Arlington
Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl sits about 4 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 12.0 million passengers in 2025, with 128 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Forest Glen, Arlington
Schools across Forest Glen, Arlington average an A−, better than 91% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Claremont ImmersionA− · 61% proficient
- Campbell ElementaryA− · 57% proficient
Top middle schools
- Kenmore MiddleA− · 53% proficient
Top high schools
- Arlington Community HighA · 68% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Forest Glen, Arlington school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Forest Glen, Arlington 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 Forest Glen, Arlington against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Forest Glen, Arlington
Is Forest Glen, Arlington a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Forest Glen, Arlington ranks 1,598th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low crime, good schools, and quiet, 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 Forest Glen, Arlington expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $329,372. The overall cost of living runs about 30% above the national average. Set against a $79,635 median income, cost of living beats 23% of neighborhoods.
Is Forest Glen, Arlington safe?
Yes, Forest Glen, Arlington is safer than 96% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $190 per resident a year.
Compare Forest Glen, Arlington with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Forest Glen, Arlington. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Forest Glen, Arlington 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.
Forest Glen, Arlington detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Forest Glen, Arlington: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Forest Glen, Arlington: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Forest Glen, Arlington: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Forest Glen, Arlington: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Forest Glen, Arlington 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.