CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

38.66° N · 77.30° W · GEOID 5164152

Potomac Mills

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

VirginiaPotomac Mills, VAPotomac MillsPotomac Mills

The short answer

Potomac Mills is home to 5,741 people. Median household income is $104,545 a year and median rent is $1,956 a month, 22.5% 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 $582,700, about 5.6x annual median household income.

Potomac Mills is defined by its growth. Household income growth is -1.5% a year, against 4.9% a year in its closest peers. Also notable: Home values rose 11.2% a year between the 2019 and 2024 surveys while incomes rose -1.5%, a wider gap than in 98% of places its size.

47OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Average

Potomac Mills scores better than 47% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 128th of 190 in Virginia.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%26
Economy 20%63
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%65
Education 10%67
Commute 10%24
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
$1,956
43% above the median place
Median household income
$104,545
30% above the median place
Median home value
$582,700
82% above the median place
Unemployment
4.8%
2% 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.

What stands out about Potomac Mills

  • Life nearbyOpenStreetMap shows 13.9 grocery stores per 10,000 residents, more than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 195 Virginia places we track.
01

Moving to Potomac Mills

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
5.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.9% 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
$78,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,956 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $3,151 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $582,700.
Getting to work
30 minutes each way on average; 22.4% work from home; 2.5% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Layhill, MD matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
5.0%
13% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people6
-6.0
below the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving out6
$80,869
15% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasurePotomac MillsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year15.0%13% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.9%2% below
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

Home values are about 34% higher than we would expect for a place with these incomes, education levels, housing age and household types in the same metro area. The premium usually reflects location, amenities or schools that these figures do not capture.

Potomac Mills22.5%
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
$78,240
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
22.5%
10% above the median place
Home price to income
5.6x
47% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
22%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$81,300
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Potomac Mills, $1,956 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 Potomac Mills, but easier on the budget

Places that match Potomac Mills 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
Layhill, MD9418.0% vs 22.5%$38,900Compare
Budd Lake, NJ8314.7% vs 22.5%$11,700Compare
Castaic, CA8216.4% vs 22.5%$25,700Compare
Glenn Dale, MD8215.2% vs 22.5%$32,800Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Potomac Mills.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Potomac Mills? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
77.6%
53% above the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$3,151
68% above the median place
Median home value1
$582,700
82% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasurePotomac MillsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,95643% above
Rent to income122.5%10% above
Property tax rate10.8%10% below
Home price to income15.6x47% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure108.98% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,43851% above
Property tax paid (median)1$4,79447% above
Median home value1$582,70082% above
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure2.9%8% below
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure47.4%8% below
Homeownership176.1%15% above
Renters paying 30%+177.6%53% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$3,15168% above
Vacant homes1County figure3.1%56% below
Median year built119881% above
03

Work and pay

Works from home is 22.4%, 80% above the median place.

Works from home1
22.4%
80% above the median place
Mean commute1
30 min
20% above the median place
Median household income1
$104,545
30% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Poverty rate15.3% +42%
Income per person$43,396 +8%
Unemployment4.8% −2%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasurePotomac MillsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$104,54530% above
Income per person1$43,3968% above
Unemployment14.8%2% below
Average annual pay5County figure$65,9750% above
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure2.4%35% below
Jobs5County figure146,1713% below
Poverty rate115.3%42% above
Mean commute130 min20% above
Works from home122.4%80% above
Commutes by transit1County figure2.5%189% above
04

Who lives here

Household size is 3.3, 32% above the median place.

Household size1
3.3
32% above the median place
Born abroad1
30.0%
240% above the median place
High school or higher1
86.1%
7% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

No health insurance9.1% +42%
Bachelor's or higher41.1% +28%
Homes with broadband93.9% +2%
Median age37.4 −4%
All 8 people measures
MeasurePotomac MillsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population15,7416120th largest
Median age137.44% below
Bachelor's or higher141.1%28% above
High school or higher186.1%7% below
Household size13.332% above
Born abroad130.0%240% above
No health insurance19.1%42% above
Homes with broadband193.9%2% above
05

Life in Potomac Mills

40 National Park Service sites lie within 60 miles, more than in 98% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 195 Virginia places we track.

52 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents3.5 −66%
Playgrounds per 10k34.8 3.7×
Grocery stores per 10k13.9 6.6×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k146.3 13.1×
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails7 km 3.3×
Bus and rail stops per sq mi6.6 31.4×

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 7 miles
  • Piscataway Park 11 miles
  • Fort Washington 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
6.5
79% 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
MeasurePotomac MillsAmong 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 10k83.566% below
Playgrounds per 10k834.8270% above
Grocery stores per 10k813.9above (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k8146.3above (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k80.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails86.5225% above
Transit stops per sq mi86.6above (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site96.579% 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 Potomac Mills. 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
MeasurePotomac MillsAmong 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

Potomac Mills in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 23% of the median income in 2030, up from 22% 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, Potomac Mills does better than 22% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 76%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,956/mo (2024)$2,470/mo$2,030 to $3,020/mo+4.0%
Median household income$104,545 (2024)$127,500$108,000 to $151,000+3.4%
Median home value$582,700 (2024)$852,000$619,000 to $1,174,000+6.5%

The median home would be worth 6.7 years of the median income in 2030, against 5.6 now.

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

09

Places like Potomac Mills

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

PlaceRentIncome
Aspen Hill, MD$1,916$111,575Compare
Westminster, CO$1,882$100,272Compare
Wilsonville, OR$1,878$96,236Compare
Mountlake Terrace, WA$2,004$107,687Compare
Mountlake Terrace, WAWilsonville, ORWestminster, COAspen Hill, MDPotomac Mills, VAPotomac MillsAspen HillWestminsterWilsonvilleMountlake TerracePotomac MillsAspen HillWestminsterWilsonvilleMountlake Terrace

Places built like Potomac Mills

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 Potomac Mills performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Potomac Mills, VA22.5%-1.5%/yrn/a
Burtonsville, MD21.1%5.7%/yrn/aCompare
Layhill, MD18.0%7.4%/yrn/aCompare
Sugarland Run, VA19.4%7.8%/yrn/aCompare
Dacula, GA21.9%4.7%/yr35.8%Compare
East Hampton North, NY21.6%4.1%/yrn/aCompare
Dumfries, VA25.2%5.2%/yr12.9%Compare

Common questions

Is Potomac Mills a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 47 out of 100, better than 47% of the places we rate and 128th of 190 in Virginia. OpenStreetMap shows 13.9 grocery stores per 10,000 residents, more than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 195 Virginia places we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 50 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Potomac Mills expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 22.5% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $582,700.

What salary do you need to live in Potomac Mills?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $78,240 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Potomac Mills?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Aspen Hill, MD, Westminster, CO, Wilsonville, OR and Mountlake Terrace, WA.

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 Potomac Mills with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Potomac Mills itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/potomac-mills-virginia

Citytistics. “Potomac Mills, Virginia.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/potomac-mills-virginia/

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