Fredericksburg, Virginia

Area Profile

28,873 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Fredericksburg, in Fredericksburg city.

61out of 100
Area Score
Top 41% of 4,196 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 15 sources
Opportunity2,432nd of 4,199 cities measured53
Schools3,174th of 4,162 cities measured29
Growth2,666th of 4,224 cities measured44
Housing affordabilityTop 32% of 4,218 cities measured72
ClimateTop 25% of 4,225 cities measured76
Physical resilienceTop 13% of 4,226 cities measured88
Access3,521st of 4,226 cities measured76
Economic stability2,433rd of 4,226 cities measured54
The quick read

Unemployment is 3.9% and median household income $86,071, putting employment conditions in the middle range of cities measured.

In the public schools here, 76% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 15.5 students for every teacher.

Rent takes 30% of renter income here, at the 30% threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, and the median home is 3.1 times what its owners earn.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
28,873
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$86,071
Top 28% nationally
Density
2,763/sq mi
10.5 sq mi of land
Median age
32.1
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Virginia
Nearest major airport
IAD
45 mi · Washington Dulles Intl
Median home value
$483,700
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.9%, lower than in 65% of the 4,226 measured US cities.

Employment fell 2.5% over the past year, to 15,679 employed residents.

46% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 86% of measured US cities.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsFredericksburg city, VA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$62,16531st percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftFredericksburg city, VA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$72,79552nd percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$6,8322024 ACS 5-Year$86,071Top 28%of 29,2232024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$2,2952024 ACS 5-Year$47,502Top 20%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year12.9%Bottom 42%of 31,7732024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±2.1 min2024 ACS 5-Year33.5 minBottom 21%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year46.1%Top 14%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year65.2%19th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202615,679Bottom 15%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026−2.4%Bottom 20%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026−2.5%Bottom 13%of 4,226July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202616,32215th percentileof 4,226July 2026
Labor force participation ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year81.3%Top 39%of 31,5132024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wageWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$91,930Top 6%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Median annual wageWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$71,060Top 8%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Public transit to work ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year1.6%88th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026+0.1%Bottom 39%of 4,226July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20263.9%Top 35%of 4,226July 2026
Worked from home ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year16.9%80th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/074.42.4
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.9% in July 2026. It has been falling, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

Median household income, successive ACS releases

202120222023202486k72k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $86,071 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

Largest occupations — Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
General and Operations Managers112,530$156,460
Business Operations Specialists, All Other76,600$104,770
Software Developers69,060$154,930
Retail Salespersons66,920$36,610
Management Analysts62,360$126,830
Fast Food and Counter Workers60,560$34,600

Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

76% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 76% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 15.5 students for every full-time teacher across 21 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
21
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
15.5
across all schools here
Math proficiency
76.1%
Bottom 16% in Virginia
Reading proficiency
76.1%
Bottom 33% in Virginia
The 12 largest of 21 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Riverbend HighSpotsylvania County Public Schools1,91317.284%85%
Massaponax HighSpotsylvania County Public Schools1,69214.676%82%
Courtland HighSpotsylvania County Public Schools1,49717.478%87%
Chancellor HighSpotsylvania County Public Schools1,32115.769%80%
James Monroe HighFredericksburg City Public Schools1,01315.360%82%
Parkside ElementarySpotsylvania County Public Schools94617.583%78%
Hugh Mercer ElementaryFredericksburg City Public Schools85915.9——
Lafayette ElementaryFredericksburg City Public Schools81215.365%56%
Chancellor MiddleSpotsylvania County Public Schools79913.175%70%
Walker-Grant MiddleFredericksburg City Public Schools79614.758%66%
Cedar Forest ElementarySpotsylvania County Public Schools78916.472%62%
Battlefield MiddleSpotsylvania County Public Schools78014.276%67%

64.1% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Virginia’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Prices for everything a household buys run about 10% above the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 109.5, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Arlington-Alexandria-Reston, VA-WV Metropolitan Division is up 34% over five years, and up 2.6% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $2,907 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.60% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,981, some 22% above the $1,619 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,981 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $79,200 a year, about 92% of the median household income here of $86,071.

The typical renter household here spends 30% of its income on rent, at the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,619 a month.

A median home at $483,700 costs 3.1 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $155,272, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.

Cost of living
109.5

Prices here run about 10% above the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.

Published for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.

Rent as a share of income
29.5%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.1×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,981
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$1,619
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$483,700
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Fredericksburg’s median household income of $86,071, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living indexthe Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area’s figure2023109.5Bottom 27%of 3,7002023
Home price change (1 year)the Arlington-Alexandria-Reston, VA-WV Metropolitan Division’s figure2026 Q2+2.6%39th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the Arlington-Alexandria-Reston, VA-WV Metropolitan Division’s figure2026 Q2+33.9%24th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the Arlington-Alexandria-Reston, VA-WV Metropolitan Division’s figure2026 Q2+67.3%11th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.42024 ACS 5-Year3.1Bottom 32%of 26,8152024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year39.7%4th percentileof 31,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±472024 ACS 5-Year12,41995th percentileof 32,1772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$1,780Bottom 28%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$2,503Bottom 35%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,981Bottom 33%of 4,072FY2026
Median gross rent ±$662024 ACS 5-Year$1,619Bottom 17%of 23,1202024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$24,9822024 ACS 5-Year$483,70088th percentileof 29,1112024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$1982024 ACS 5-Year$2,90772nd percentileof 26,4402024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$17,6212024 ACS 5-Year$155,272Top 6%of 27,5482024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.05%2024 ACS 5-Year0.60%20th percentileof 20,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year29.5%Bottom 43%of 22,9502024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±632024 ACS 5-Year9589th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year0.8%60th percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year4.9%38th percentileof 31,7692024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±1992024 ACS 5-Year69993rd percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.

Development Momentum

44/ 100
Ranks 2,666 of 4,224 published city profiles
Permitting has been falling for the last 3 years of a series running from 2020 to 2025. That is the direction of the recent run. The chart below compares the first year with the last, which can point the other way.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 7% since 2020, reaching 29,992 in 2024.

Permit activity fell in each of the 3 calendar years through 2025. Over the twelve months since, it has turned the other way — up 41% on the prior year.

New construction is predominantly single-family: of 31 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.

Federal tax returns show Fredericksburg city, which contains Fredericksburg, lost about 0.3% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $62,165, below the $72,795 of households that moved out.

At 1.1 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US cities.

Units permitted
31
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
1.1
Bottom 27% nationally
Year over year
+41%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
0.0%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202430k28k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been rising for the last 4 years, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

People moving in and out

Net migration
−0.3%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
23%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$62,165
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$72,795
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Spotsylvania County, VA 963 people · 27% of arrivals
  2. Stafford County, VA 659 people · 18% of arrivals
  3. Prince William County, VA 248 people · 6.9% of arrivals
  4. Fairfax County, VA 166 people · 4.6% of arrivals
  5. King George County, VA 96 people · 2.7% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Spotsylvania County, VA 1,153 people · 31% of departures
  2. Stafford County, VA 542 people · 15% of departures
  3. Prince William County, VA 153 people · 4.1% of departures
  4. Caroline County, VA 121 people · 3.3% of departures
  5. Fairfax County, VA 95 people · 2.6% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Fredericksburg city, VA. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

Housing units permitted per year

20202021202220232024202518325
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was lower than 2020 (−76%).

Weather & climate

7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 88°F and January a low of 28°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 41.0 inches, including 12.4 inches of snow.

20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station QUANTICO MCAS, 17.2 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND4.6"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals41.0"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals12.4"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals28°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals88°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals71991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals43°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

88 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, earthquake and strong wind, with inland flooding alone responsible for 57% of it. Inland flooding is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 87% of measured US cities.

HurricaneModerate
EarthquakeElevated
Strong windModerate
TornadoModerate
Cold waveModerate

Low or minimal exposure: lightning, heat wave, hail, inland flooding, winter weather, coastal flooding, ice storm, landslide, wildfire, drought, tsunami, volcanic activity, avalanche.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Violent crime
405
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year
Property crime
2,507
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year

Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.

Fredericksburg's police department reported 405 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, higher than most places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 2,507.

Fredericksburg city has a modeled homicide rate of about 3.3 per 100,000 residents a year, because the CDC suppresses counts this small, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at about 13.1 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at about 15.6 per 100,000 residents in Fredericksburg city.

Homicide
3.3
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Firearm deaths, all intents
13.1
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Drug overdose
15.6
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Suicide
15.2
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.

Offenses are reported to the FBI by Fredericksburg’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Fredericksburg (Fredericksburg city) rather than Fredericksburg itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index only where a monitor sits. There is none in this county, and a modeled value would be a different kind of number from the measured ones everywhere else on this page.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

4 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Washington Dulles Intl at 45 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year92.9%Top 35%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle45 miBottom 15%of 4,226NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle4Bottom 38%of 4,226NASR current cycle
No internet access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year6.7%Top 46%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Washington Dulles IntlIAD45 mi11,500 ft
Richmond IntlRIC56 mi9,003 ft
Baltimore/Washington Intl Thurgood MarshallBWI75 mi10,503 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

Customize your score

What matters to you?

Choose what you weight most heavily. Nothing is saved to an account — your preferences stay in this browser, and the Area Score never changes.

Area Score
61
Your Score
—

Select one or more priorities to see how this location scores against them.

Other cities in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

Same metropolitan area, measured the same way
CityCountyPopulationArea ScoreCompare
WashingtonDistrict of Columbia681,29468Washington vs Fredericksburg
ArlingtonArlington County236,25473Arlington vs Fredericksburg
AlexandriaAlexandria city156,97660Alexandria vs Fredericksburg
GermantownMontgomery County90,71968
FrederickFrederick County83,39567
WaldorfCharles County82,94360
Silver SpringMontgomery County81,46268
CentrevilleFairfax County71,70667
Dale CityPrince William County71,01663
GaithersburgMontgomery County69,82568
BethesdaMontgomery County69,39770
RockvilleMontgomery County67,67170

Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.

Compare

Put Fredericksburg side by side with a similar place.

Fredericksburg vs RosedaleFredericksburg vs Carney

Moving to Fredericksburg from somewhere else?

You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
SafetyFederal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer
Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency
2025 calendar year
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWS
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

ZIP codes in Fredericksburg

3 ZIP areas

Every ZIP area in Fredericksburg with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track Fredericksburg closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.

ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueArea Score
2240765,425$111,129$409,50063
2240831,586$110,112$378,00060
2240128,731$86,230$483,700—