Reston vs Roanoke
The short version
- Roanoke is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 14% lower than in the Reston area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $190,500 in Roanoke and $642,000 in Reston.
- Households earn more in Reston ($148,710 vs $55,378 median).
- Roanoke has the warmer winter: January highs of 47°F vs 43°F.
- Commutes are shorter in Roanoke (19 vs 26 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Reston, VA | Roanoke, VA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 64,414 | 99,111 |
| Growth since 2020 | n/a | -0.9% |
| People per square mile | 4,198 | 2,331 |
| Median age | 40.1 | 38.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 72% | 30% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $148,710 | $55,378 |
| Median home value | $642,000 | $190,500 |
| Home value to income | 4.3× | 3.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,231 | $996 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 108.9 | 93.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 151.1 | 78.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $81,700 | $70,200 |
| Homeowners | 61% | 52% |
| Top state income tax | 5.75% | 5.75% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.77% | 5.77% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 26.0 | 19.0 |
| Work from home | 34% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 6% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5% | 5.6% |
| Poverty rate | 5.7% | 18.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 43° / 25° | 47° / 29° |
| July high / low | 88° / 67° | 88° / 67° |
| Precipitation per year | 43 in | 43 in |
| Snowfall per year | 21 in | 15 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 33 | 30 |
| Nights below freezing | 102 | 77 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Low |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 94.7 | 72.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 59% | 83% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.6% | +3.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +33.9% | +51.2% |
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: Reston: April, June and September to October. Roanoke: April to May and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Reston weather by month and Roanoke weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $81,700 in Reston and $70,200 in Roanoke. Moving from Reston to Roanoke, you would need about $64,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Reston and Roanoke
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Reston and Roanoke.
Which would you pick?
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