The DMV area has been mentioned in a variety of rankings and studies focused on the best places to live around the nation.
- Three towns in the DMV area were named among the best places to live on the East Coast
- A DMV-area county was ranked the best county to live in America
Now, the AARP has produced its own rankings of the top 100 communities in the nation, using 61 indicators to determine which are the ‘most livable’.
Which D.C. suburbs ranked the most livable communities in the nation?
The AARP broke down its rankings of the top 100 most livable communities in the nation into four categories:
- Very large population: 500,000+
- Large population: 100,000 to 499,999
- Mid-Size population: 25,000 to 99,999
- Small population: 5,000 to 24,999
DMV area suburbs that ranked highly in the ‘Very Large’ section:
Montgomery County, MD, was ranked the #2 most livable ‘very large’ community in the nation this past year, with an overall livability score of 64!
Fairfax County, VA, was ranked the #5 most livable ‘very large’ community in the nation in 2025, with an overall livability score of 63.
DMV area suburbs that ranked highly in the ‘Large’ section:
Arlington County, VA, was ranked the #1 most livable ‘large’ community in the nation by the AARP this past year, with an overall livability score of 68.
Alexandria, VA, was then ranked the #2 most livable ‘large’ community in America in 2025, with an overall livability score of 66.
DMV area suburbs that ranked highly in the ‘Mid-Size’ section:
In the ‘mid-size’ category, there was only one DMV area suburb that cracked the top 10, which was Rockville, MD, at #5 with an overall livability score of 66.
DMV area suburbs that ranked highly in the ‘Small’ section:
Two DMV Area suburbs ranked among the top 10 for the ‘small’ category:
- Falls Church, VA – #2 with an overall livability score of 72.
- Takoma Park, MD – #7 with an overall livability score of 69.