Moving to
Difficult Run.

All Difficult Run data Compare Difficult Run

9,938people live here $250,000+median household incomeCensus top category $1,111,400median home value▲ 234% above US

The Census tops out at $250,000+ for household income; it doesn't publish exact figures above that.

Difficult Run is an unincorporated community in Fairfax County, VA. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.

What it's like to live in Difficult Run

Difficult Run is an unincorporated community in Virginia with county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Difficult Run deals with home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and cold winters.

The good

Low unemployment in the county
Higher-than-average incomes
Highly educated workforce

The not so good

High home prices
Above-average commute times
Cold winters

How Difficult Run compares

Median household income

Difficult Run$250,000+

Virginia avg$93,170

US$80,734

The Census tops out at $250,000+ for household income; it doesn't publish exact figures above that.

Median home value

Difficult Run$1,111,400

Virginia avg$383,700

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Difficult Run

Based on Difficult Run's median rent, home value and household income

To buy

$222,280

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $111,140
Homes cost 4.4× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Job market

3.2% county unemployment

Unemployment in Fairfax County is 3.2%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Fairfax County (county-wide)

Safety

110 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Difficult Run doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Fairfax County Police Department jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 1438/100k · Policed by Fairfax County Police Department (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting around▲ 16% above US

30 min average commute

Traffic is a real factor here. The 30.1 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 6 in 10 workers drive to work; 37% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

53%

Work from home

37%

Carpool

4.5%

Public transit

2.8%

Other

1.5%

Walk

0.5%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 82°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 25°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▲ 138% above US

86% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.

Schools

0 public schools inside the boundary

No public school is located inside the boundary; students attend schools in the surrounding district. There are 2 private schools inside it.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts (5 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Difficult Run's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are home prices well above the national average and commute times longer than most cities. It tends to suit job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low), remote workers (37% of workers here already work from home), and college-educated professionals.

See all the data for Difficult Run →·All Virginia cities →