Lynchburg vs Reston
The short version
- Lynchburg is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 18% lower than in the Reston area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $229,800 in Lynchburg and $642,000 in Reston.
- Households earn more in Reston ($148,710 vs $57,947 median).
- Reston gets far more snow: 21 inches a year vs 12.
- Lynchburg is growing faster: +3% since 2020 vs +0%.
- Commutes are shorter in Lynchburg (17 vs 26 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Lynchburg, VA | Reston, VA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 81,347 | 64,414 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3% | n/a |
| People per square mile | 1,663 | 4,198 |
| Median age | 28.6 | 40.1 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 39% | 72% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $57,947 | $148,710 |
| Median home value | $229,800 | $642,000 |
| Home value to income | 4.0× | 4.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,073 | $2,231 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 89.4 | 108.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 63.9 | 151.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $67,000 | $81,700 |
| Homeowners | 49% | 61% |
| Top state income tax | 5.75% | 5.75% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.77% | 5.77% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 16.8 | 26.0 |
| Work from home | 14% | 34% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 6% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.3% | 5% |
| Poverty rate | 18.6% | 5.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 46° / 26° | 43° / 25° |
| July high / low | 87° / 65° | 88° / 67° |
| Precipitation per year | 43 in | 43 in |
| Snowfall per year | 12 in | 21 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 27 | 33 |
| Nights below freezing | 94 | 102 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Low | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 49.3 | 94.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | n/a | 59% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.7% | +2.6% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +51.2% | +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: Lynchburg: April to June and August to October. Reston: April, June and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Lynchburg 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 $67,000 in Lynchburg and $81,700 in Reston. Moving from Lynchburg to Reston, you would need about $91,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Lynchburg 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 Lynchburg and Reston.
Which would you pick?
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