Best PlacesSouth Riding, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in the South Riding area, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
South Riding ranks 5th of 2098 U.S. cities on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores best on low crime and lowest on fast internet.
The best neighborhoods in South Riding
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.
South Riding's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Riding ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 100% of cities
- Health outlookBetter than 99% of cities
- Low vacancyBetter than 99% of cities
- Household income$201,010 median, better than 99% of cities
- School gradeA+, better than 98% of cities
Where South Riding ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 9% of cities
- Cheap childcare$1,632 a month, better than only 9% of cities
- Nice weatherabout 61 pleasant days a year, better than only 10% of cities
- Short commute33.0 minutes each way, better than only 11% of cities
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 19% of cities
What it costs to buy a home in South Riding
A household needs to earn about $195,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Riding home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $201,010, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment and a 6.8% 30-year fixed rate. The rate updates weekly from Freddie Mac; property tax uses South Riding's effective rate against the median home value.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in South Riding
South Riding's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 South Riding.
Who works in South Riding, and how
Work in South Riding centers on professional & technical and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 66%
- Work from home 31%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in South Riding
South Riding has more parkland per resident than 79% of cities. The coast is about 32 minutes away. The map and measures below show how they vary by area.
What the weather is like in South Riding, month by month
South Riding sees roughly 61 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 47, with lows near 25. Spring and fall carry most of the comfortable stretch.
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 South Riding
Washington Dulles International sits about 4 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 South Riding
Schools across South Riding average an A+, better than 98% of cities.
Top elementary schools
- Rosa Lee Carter ElementaryA+ · 87% proficient
- Liberty ElementaryA+ · 77% proficient
- Cardinal Ridge ElementaryA+ · 76% proficient
Top middle schools
- Stone Hill MiddleA+ · 82% proficient
- J. Michael Lunsford MiddleA+ · 81% proficient
- Mercer MiddleA+ · 76% proficient
Top high schools
- Freedom HighA+ · 83% proficient
- John Champe HighA+ · 81% proficient
- Park View HighB+ · 54% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Riding school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Riding 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 South Riding against the other 2097 cities.
Who South Riding suits
Families
Schools beat 98% of the country and crime runs low. Compare neighborhoods on the map for the best fit.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 98% of cities and 31% already work from home.
Common questions about living in South Riding
Is South Riding a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Riding ranks 5th of 2098 cities. It scores highest on low crime, population health, and few empty homes, and lowest on fast internet and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is South Riding expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $736,227. The overall cost of living runs about 21% above the national average. Set against a $201,010 median income, cost of living beats 98% of cities.
Is South Riding safe?
Yes, South Riding is safer than 100% of cities. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $143 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in South Riding?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 47 with lows near 25. The area gets its pleasant stretches in spring and fall.
Is South Riding good for families?
Schools beat 98% of cities, and safety is best away from the urban core. Home prices are usually the catch in the strongest school areas.
Compare South Riding with other cities
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Riding. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Riding 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.
South Riding detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Riding: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Riding: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Riding: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Riding: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Riding 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.