CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

38.69° N · 77.31° W · GEOID 5143432

Lake Ridge

Prince William County, Virginia · part of the Washington, DC metro

VirginiaLake Ridge, VALake RidgeLake Ridge

The short answer

Lake Ridge is home to 46,049 people. Median household income is $127,154 a year and median rent is $2,033 a month, 19.2% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $471,200, about 3.7x annual median household income.

Lake Ridge stands out for what is close at hand. 40 National Park Service sites lie within 60 miles, more than in 97% of places its size. It is the highest of 195 Virginia places we track. Also notable: Household income rose 4.5% a year while rent rose 2.2% between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, pay gained on rent more than in 89% of places its size.

64OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Above average

Lake Ridge scores better than 64% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 99th of 190 in Virginia.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%56
Economy 20%77
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%41
Education 10%79
Commute 10%6
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$2,033
49% above the median place
Median household income
$127,154
58% above the median place
Median home value
$471,200
48% above the median place
Unemployment
4.0%
18% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

01

Moving to Lake Ridge

Prince William County loses about 6.0 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in30,324
Moved out32,916
Net−2,592

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Virginia, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within VirginiaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$77K
Leavers$81K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Prince William County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
8.3% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.1% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Prince William County report $76,700 a year in income on average; those leaving, $80,900, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$81,300 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $2,033 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,387 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $471,200.
Getting to work
36 minutes each way on average; 19.9% work from home; 2.1% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Glenn Dale, MD matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
8.3%
45% above the median place
Moved from another state1
2.1%
5% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people6
-6.0
below the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureLake RidgeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year18.3%45% above
Moved from another state12.1%5% above
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure-6.0below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$76,7139% above
Income of households moving out6County figure$80,86915% above
02

What it costs to live here

After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household keeps about $102,500 a year, more than in 82% of the 907 places of 25,000 to 50,000 people we track.

Lake Ridge19.2%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$81,320
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
19.2%
6% below the median place
Home price to income
3.7x
2% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
19%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$102,400
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Lake Ridge, $2,033 a month, and local prices for everything else (100.2 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Lake Ridge, but easier on the budget

Places that match Lake Ridge on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Glenn Dale, MD8815.2% vs 19.2%$11,200Compare
Damascus, MD8513.5% vs 19.2%$34,500Compare
Olathe, KS8513.8% vs 19.2%$2,300Compare
Collierville, TN8514.6% vs 19.2%$22,400Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Lake Ridge.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Lake Ridge? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
2.1%
70% below the median place
Renters paying 30%+1
42.5%
16% below the median place
Median home value1
$471,200
48% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureLake RidgeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$2,03349% above
Rent to income119.2%6% below
Property tax rate10.9%3% above
Home price to income13.7x2% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure108.98% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,43851% above
Property tax paid (median)1$4,42636% above
Median home value1$471,20048% above
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure2.9%8% below
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure47.4%8% below
Homeownership176.4%15% above
Renters paying 30%+142.5%16% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,38728% above
Vacant homes12.1%70% below
Median year built119860% above
03

Work and pay

Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 220 hours a year commuting, more than in 91% of the 987 places of 25,000 to 50,000 people we track.

Mean commute1
36 min
43% above the median place
Median household income1
$127,154
58% above the median place
Poverty rate1
5.8%
46% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Works from home19.9% +60%
Income per person$52,155 +30%
Commutes by transit2.1% 2.4×
Unemployment4.0% −18%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureLake RidgeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$127,15458% above
Income per person1$52,15530% above
Unemployment14.0%18% below
Average annual pay5County figure$65,9750% above
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure2.4%35% below
Jobs5County figure146,1713% below
Poverty rate15.8%46% below
Mean commute136 min43% above
Works from home119.9%60% above
Commutes by transit12.1%145% above
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 96.9%, 5% above the median place.

Homes with broadband1
96.9%
5% above the median place
Born abroad1
25.0%
183% above the median place
Household size1
2.9
15% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Bachelor's or higher50.0% +56%
No health insurance8.2% +28%
Median age38.0 −3%
High school or higher92.0% −0%
All 8 people measures
MeasureLake RidgeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population146,049954th largest
Median age138.03% below
Bachelor's or higher150.0%56% above
High school or higher192.0%0% below
Household size12.915% above
Born abroad125.0%183% above
No health insurance18.2%28% above
Homes with broadband196.9%5% above
05

Life in Lake Ridge

OpenStreetMap shows 3.3 parks per 10,000 residents, fewer than in 90% of the 987 places of 25,000 to 50,000 people we track.

52 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents3.3 −68%
Playgrounds per 10k19.5 2.1×
Grocery stores per 10k1.9 −8%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k3.9 −65%
Libraries per 10k0.7 −25%
Named paths and bike trails7 km 3.6×
Bus and rail stops per sq mi1.6 7.9×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Prince William Forest Park 8 miles
  • Piscataway Park 12 miles
  • Manassas National Battlefield Park 15 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars15.7 −25%
Shops24.1 −20%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.0 −27%
Doctors' offices and clinics15.8 −22%
Child care centers2.1 −9%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Nearest National Park Service site9
7.9
74% below the median place
Public school students11
89,591
above the median place (median 4,897)
Shops per 10k7
24.1
20% below the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureLake RidgeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure101above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure89,591above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher11County figure15.93% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure15.725% below
Shops per 10k7County figure24.120% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure3.027% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure15.822% below
Child care centers per 10k7County figure2.19% below
Parks per 10k83.368% below
Playgrounds per 10k819.5108% above
Grocery stores per 10k81.98% below
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k83.965% below
Libraries per 10k80.725% below
Named paths and bike trails87.2260% above
Transit stops per sq mi81.6above (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site97.974% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles940above (median 2)
National Register listings10County figure52300% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Good air days is 95.6%, 40% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Lake Ridge. Larger places are fetched first.

Good air days14
95.6%
40% above the median place
Wildfire risk13
18.2
70% below the median place
Median air quality index14
35
19% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureLake RidgeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure88°F1% above
January average low12County figure26°F3% above
Average temperature12County figure56°F3% above
Annual precipitation12County figure42.1 in4% below
Natural hazard risk13County figure83.210% below
Hurricane risk13County figure83.017% above
Tornado risk13County figure76.56% below
Wildfire risk13County figure18.270% below
Heat wave risk13County figure93.44% above
Median air quality index14County figure3519% below
Good air days14County figure95.6%40% above
08

Lake Ridge in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 19% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 19% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Lake Ridge does better than 57% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 29%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$2,033/mo (2024)$2,570/mo$2,110 to $3,130/mo+4.0%
Median household income$127,154 (2024)$161,000$136,000 to $190,500+4.0%
Median home value$471,200 (2024)$667,000$484,000 to $918,000+6.0%

The median home would be worth 4.1 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.7 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Lake Ridge

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Cheverly, MD$1,907$123,535Compare
Germantown, MD$2,040$117,546Compare
Odessa, FL$1,909$117,806Compare
Buda, TX$1,852$123,766Compare
Buda, TXOdessa, FLGermantown, MDCheverly, MDLake Ridge, VALake RidgeCheverlyOdessaBudaLake RidgeCheverlyOdessaBuda

Places built like Lake Ridge

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Lake Ridge performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Lake Ridge, VA19.2%4.5%/yrn/a
Wellington, FL26.6%4.5%/yr1.7%Compare
Cooper City, FL24.0%4.4%/yr1.9%Compare
Snellville, GA24.3%3.8%/yr9.3%Compare
Perry Hall, MD19.3%3.6%/yrn/aCompare
Centreville, VA19.8%3.4%/yrn/aCompare
Apopka, FL24.4%8.0%/yr19.4%Compare

Common questions

Is Lake Ridge a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 64 out of 100, better than 64% of the places we rate and 99th of 190 in Virginia. On cost, space and class size it scores 87 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Lake Ridge expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 19.2% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $471,200.

What salary do you need to live in Lake Ridge?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $81,320 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Lake Ridge?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Cheverly, MD, Germantown, MD, Odessa, FL and Buda, TX.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  9. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Lake Ridge with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Lake Ridge itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/lake-ridge-virginia

Citytistics. “Lake Ridge, Virginia.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/lake-ridge-virginia/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.