Fairfax County, Virginia
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Fairfax County. Population: 1,141,878 (metro).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Fairfax County, VA ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 26.6 — 2997th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Virginia, it ranks 127th of 133 counties. Among its 10 neighboring counties, 7 show more distress.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Fairfax County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Housing Cost Burden
Primary DriverEmployment & Wages
Community Vulnerability
Debt & Delinquency
Income & Poverty
How Fairfax County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfax County, VA | 26.6 | Healthy | — |
| Prince George's County, MD | 58.1 | Elevated | +31.5 |
| District of Columbia, DC | 47.6 | Normal | +21.0 |
| Charles County, MD | 42.6 | Normal | +16.0 |
| Alexandria city, VA | 38.8 | Normal | +12.2 |
| Prince William County, VA | 38.6 | Normal | +12.0 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (metro) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara County, CA | 27.7 | Healthy | +1.2 |
| Oakland County, MI | 28.5 | Healthy | +1.9 |
| Nassau County, NY | 29.3 | Healthy | +2.7 |
| Hennepin County, MN | 31.6 | Healthy | +5.0 |
| King County, WA | 31.8 | Healthy | +5.2 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Fairfax County as a CSV file.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Fairfax County, Virginia?
Fairfax County has a County Distress Index score of 26.6 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 2,997th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 127th in Virginia out of 133 counties.
What drives financial distress in Fairfax County?
The primary driver of distress in Fairfax County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 67.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).
How does Fairfax County compare to neighboring counties?
Fairfax County (26.6) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Prince George's County, MD (58.1); District of Columbia, DC (47.6); Charles County, MD (42.6).
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.
What is the population of Fairfax County?
Fairfax County, Virginia has a population of approximately 1,141,878 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.