Kirkland vs Reston
The short version
- Reston is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 2% lower than in the Kirkland area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $642,000 in Reston and $1,115,400 in Kirkland.
- Kirkland has the warmer winter: January highs of 47°F vs 43°F.
- Reston gets far more snow: 21 inches a year vs 4.
- Reston has more scorching days: 33 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 2.
- Kirkland is growing faster: +5.7% since 2020 vs +0%.
- Washington has no state income tax on wages; Virginia's top rate is 5.75%.
Side by side
| Kirkland, WA | Reston, VA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 97,410 | 64,414 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5.7% | n/a |
| People per square mile | 5,471 | 4,198 |
| Median age | 38.3 | 40.1 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 66% | 72% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $150,414 | $148,710 |
| Median home value | $1,115,400 | $642,000 |
| Home value to income | 7.4× | 4.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,401 | $2,231 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 111.1 | 108.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 151.3 | 151.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $83,300 | $81,700 |
| Homeowners | 61% | 61% |
| Top state income tax | None | 5.75% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.57% | 5.77% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.9 | 26.0 |
| Work from home | 34% | 34% |
| Take public transit | 4% | 6% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.6% | 5% |
| Poverty rate | 6.1% | 5.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 47° / 37° | 43° / 25° |
| July high / low | 77° / 57° | 88° / 67° |
| Precipitation per year | 38 in | 43 in |
| Snowfall per year | 4 in | 21 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 2 | 33 |
| Nights below freezing | 25 | 102 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.7 | 94.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 56% | 59% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.3% | +2.6% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +24.6% | +33.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Kirkland: May to September. Reston: April, June and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Kirkland weather by month and Reston weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $83,300 in Kirkland and $81,700 in Reston. Moving from Kirkland to Reston, you would need about $73,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Kirkland and Reston
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Kirkland and Reston.
Which would you pick?
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