Best PlacesMerrifield, Fairfax, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Merrifield, Fairfax, 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.
Merrifield, Fairfax ranks 201st of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on population health by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Merrifield, Fairfax
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.
Merrifield, Fairfax's strengths and weaknesses
Where Merrifield, Fairfax ranks high
- Health outlookBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- School gradeA−, better than 93% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Household income$151,140 median, better than 91% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
Where Merrifield, Fairfax ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 64 pleasant days a year, better than only 14% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$1,512 a month, better than only 20% of neighborhoods
- Short commute28.1 minutes each way, better than only 27% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Merrifield, Fairfax
A household needs to earn about $185,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Merrifield, Fairfax home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $151,140, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 Merrifield, Fairfax's effective rate of 1.02%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Merrifield, Fairfax
Merrifield, Fairfax runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Merrifield, Fairfax.
Who works in Merrifield, Fairfax, and how
Work in Merrifield, Fairfax centers on professional & technical and public administration. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 55%
- Work from home 31%
- Transit, walk, or bike 14%
Life in Merrifield, Fairfax
Merrifield, Fairfax has more restaurants and bars per resident than 78% of neighborhoods and more late-night spots per resident than 77% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 20 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Merrifield, Fairfax and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Merrifield, Fairfax, month by month
Merrifield, Fairfax 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 Merrifield, Fairfax
Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl sits about 11 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 Merrifield, Fairfax
Schools across Merrifield, Fairfax average an A−, better than 93% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Stenwood ElementaryA+ · 75% proficient
- Shrevewood ElementaryA+ · 75% proficient
- Marshall Road ElementaryA− · 61% proficient
Top middle schools
- Frost MiddleA+ · 86% proficient
- Thoreau MiddleA+ · 82% proficient
- Kilmer MiddleA+ · 76% proficient
Top high schools
- Oakton HighA+ · 81% proficient
- Madison HighA+ · 80% proficient
- Marshall HighA · 74% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Merrifield, Fairfax school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Merrifield, Fairfax 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 Merrifield, Fairfax against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Merrifield, Fairfax
Is Merrifield, Fairfax a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Merrifield, Fairfax ranks 201st of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on population health, good schools, and an educated workforce, and lowest on the weather and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Merrifield, Fairfax expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $689,058. The overall cost of living runs about 32% above the national average. Set against a $151,140 median income, cost of living beats 85% of neighborhoods.
Is Merrifield, Fairfax safe?
Yes, Merrifield, Fairfax is safer than 88% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $305 per resident a year.
Compare Merrifield, Fairfax with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Merrifield, Fairfax. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Merrifield, Fairfax 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.
Merrifield, Fairfax detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Merrifield, Fairfax: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Merrifield, Fairfax: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Merrifield, Fairfax: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Merrifield, Fairfax: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Merrifield, Fairfax 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.