Burke Centre vs Dranesville

Which is the better fit for you?

Burke Centre, VA
68
Area Score
Top 21% nationally
Dranesville, VA
67
Area Score
Top 22% nationally

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Burke Centre receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Burke Centre to Dranesville

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 109.5 against 109.5 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$140 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $2,460 in Dranesville against $2,600 in Burke Centre.
The median home
16% more
$744,500 in Dranesville against $641,700 in Burke Centre.
The weather you would swap
Similar winters
Normal January lows are 25°F in Dranesville against 25°F in Burke Centre; July highs are 88°F against 88°F (summers the same).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Burke Centre
Dranesville
Opportunity: Dranesville is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
63 · Top 35%
vs
64 · Top 34%
Growth
44 · Bottom 35%
vs
44 · Bottom 35%
Climate
74 · Top 31%
vs
74 · Top 31%
Physical resilience
80 · Top 24%
vs
80 · Top 24%
Housing affordability: Burke Centre is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
73 · Top 32%
vs
66 · Bottom 48%
Schools
58 · Top 40%
vs
58 · Top 40%
Access: Dranesville is the more favorable of the two.
Access
94 · Top 42%
vs
97 · Top 31%
Economic stability: Dranesville is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
74 · Top 14%
vs
77 · Top 8%

Measured values

MetricBurke CentreDranesvilleSource period
Population17,03711,8282024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$164,123$214,688 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$66,006$79,051 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Population density5,438/sq mi3,081/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$641,700$744,5002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$2,515 — more favorable$3,1872024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$2,600$2,460 — more favorableFY2026
Cost of living index109.5109.52023
Homeownership rate80.7%93.1%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate3.4%3.4%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)−2.4%−2.4%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher65.5%75.2% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate4.5% ±2%2.3% ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)3,1743,17412 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents2.82.812 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−7.6%−7.6%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high88°F88°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low25°F25°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation43.2"43.2"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport14 mi6 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute34.6 min31.1 min — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age39.139.82024 ACS 5-Year
Students per teacher13.813.82024-25 school year
Math proficiency85.4%85.4%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency81.0%81.0%2018-19 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

One row above shows both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Burke Centre
—
Burke Centre: Your Score
68
Area Score
Dranesville
—
Dranesville: Your Score
67
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Burke Centre, VA · Dranesville, VA · How this is calculated: methodology