Wealthiest DC Suburbs Ranked 2026: Top 10 by Median Home Price & Income

Part of: The DC Metro Neighborhood Guide — Where to Buy in MD, DC, and Northern Virginia

If you search "wealthiest DC suburbs" you'll get a dozen lists that mostly agree on the same names and disagree on the order. Here is the 2026 ranking that actually reflects two things buyers care about: the median home price you'd pay to live there, and the median household income of the people who already do. Both numbers come from public sources — Bright MLS for housing, U.S. Census/American Community Survey for income.

The headline: Potomac, Maryland and Great Falls, Virginia trade places at the top depending on which metric you weight, and the rest of the top 10 splits roughly even between Montgomery County (MD) and Fairfax County (VA).

The Top 10 (2026)

| Rank | Suburb | State | 2026 Median Home Price | Median HH Income | |---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | Great Falls | VA (Fairfax Co.) | ~$1.6M | ~$285K | | 2 | Potomac | MD (Montgomery Co.) | ~$1.4M | ~$220K | | 3 | McLean | VA (Fairfax Co.) | ~$1.45M | ~$235K | | 4 | Chevy Chase Village | MD (Montgomery Co.) | ~$2.0M+ | ~$250K | | 5 | Bethesda (Glen Echo Heights / Burning Tree) | MD (Montgomery Co.) | ~$1.5M+ | ~$215K | | 6 | Vienna (Country Club Hills / Beulah Heights) | VA (Fairfax Co.) | ~$1.2M | ~$210K | | 7 | Kenwood (Bethesda) | MD (Montgomery Co.) | ~$2.5M+ | ~$240K | | 8 | Ashburn (Belmont Country Club) | VA (Loudoun Co.) | ~$1.1M | ~$200K | | 9 | Falls Church (City) | VA (independent) | ~$1.1M | ~$170K | | 10 | Clarksville | MD (Howard Co.) | ~$1.0M | ~$210K |

Pricing reflects Bright MLS 2026 medians for the ZIP codes containing each named area; income figures are 2023 ACS 5-year estimates rounded. Treat the order within ~$100K as a rough peer group, not a precise sort.

Why Each One Is on the List

1. Great Falls, VA

Largest median lot sizes in the inner DC suburbs, no through traffic, the lowest property tax rate of the Maryland/Virginia top 10 (~$0.86/$100), and the shortest practical commute to the CIA, State Department, and Tysons of any luxury suburb. Most homes are on 2–5 acres. The trade-off: you drive for everything — there's no walkable village center and no Metro.

2. Potomac, MD

Anchored by Churchill High School (the most rigorous Montgomery County cluster by most metrics) and the Avenel/Falconhurst/Quail Run estate sections. Larger homes than McLean for similar money, with one of the strongest school clusters in the state. Honest trade-off: Maryland property taxes are meaningfully higher than Virginia (~$1.10–$1.20/$100 vs ~$0.86), and the commute to NoVA jobs adds a Beltway crossing.

3. McLean, VA

The peer to Bethesda on the Virginia side. Langley High School is consistently top-3 in Fairfax County; the commute to CIA, State Department, and Tysons is unbeatable; and the housing stock is large and largely detached. Comparable pricing to Bethesda, lower property taxes.

4. Chevy Chase Village, MD

One of several "Chevy Chase" jurisdictions inside Section 1 of the original Chevy Chase Land Company plat. Median list prices regularly clear $2M; the housing stock is older, denser, and inside the Beltway. Walter Johnson and BCC HS clusters are top-tier. The "Chevy Chase" name is shared across several Maryland and DC entities — the Village specifically is the smallest and wealthiest.

5. Bethesda (Glen Echo Heights / Burning Tree)

Bethesda proper covers a wide spectrum from $700K condos to $5M+ estates. The wealth concentrates in Glen Echo Heights (just inside the Beltway, on the Potomac River escarpment) and Burning Tree (Burning Tree Country Club estates). These specific sub-neighborhoods are why Bethesda lands on every "wealthiest" list. The walkable downtown Bethesda condos are a different — and lower — price tier.

6. Vienna (Country Club Hills / Beulah Heights)

Vienna is more than a wealthy suburb — it's a complete town with a walkable downtown, Metro access (Orange Line), and Madison HS. But the Country Club Hills and Beulah Heights sub-neighborhoods, with their larger lots and older estate-style homes, are why the town as a whole is on this list. See the Vienna VA neighborhood guide.

7. Kenwood (Bethesda), MD

Inside the Beltway, walking distance to downtown Bethesda, on the Kenwood Golf & Country Club. Famous for the cherry blossom tree-lined streets and a housing stock dominated by mid-century and modern estate homes on flat lots. Among the highest per-square-foot prices in the entire DC region.

8. Ashburn (Belmont Country Club), VA

The Loudoun County entry. Belmont Country Club specifically is an exclusive gated golf community; surrounding Ashburn is much more attainable. Loudoun's appeal is space — newer construction, larger lots, lower taxes — at the cost of a long DC commute (best served by the Silver Line if you can connect).

9. Falls Church (City), VA

The independent city of Falls Church — distinct from the larger surrounding "Falls Church" Census-designated place in Fairfax County — runs its own schools and consistently earns Niche A+ overall. Pricing reflects the school reputation and small footprint. See the Falls Church VA neighborhood guide.

10. Clarksville, MD (River Hill)

The Howard County outlier. River Hill High School is one of the top-ranked public high schools in Maryland; the surrounding planned community of River Hill and adjacent Clarksville offer large-lot housing roughly 30 minutes north of MoCo. Lower density than the Bethesda/McLean tier, with a quieter family feel.

What You're Actually Buying

Across the list, the price premium tends to be paid for some combination of four things:

1. Top-3 school cluster in the county (Langley, Churchill, Madison, Walter Johnson, BCC, Yorktown, River Hill)
2. Large lot, established trees — supply is hard-capped because these areas were platted in the 1920s–1960s and haven't subdivided
3. Country club or similar institution providing an anchor and de facto entry filter
4. Proximity to a specific employer cluster — CIA/State Dept (McLean/Great Falls), Tysons finance, NIH/Walter Reed (Bethesda)

If your motivation isn't anchored to one of those four, a step down to the $700K–$1.2M tier (Kensington, Vienna outside the estate areas, North Bethesda, Falls Church proper) gets you 80% of the lifestyle for 60% of the cost.

How Maryland vs. Virginia Compares Within the List

| Factor | Maryland (MoCo, HoCo) | Virginia (Fairfax, Loudoun) | |---|---|---| | Property tax rate | ~$1.10–$1.20 per $100 | ~$0.86–$1.04 per $100 | | State income tax | Up to 5.75% + county 3.2% | Flat 5.75% | | Walkable downtowns | Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Kensington | Vienna, Falls Church City | | Metro coverage | Red Line | Silver / Orange Lines | | Lot sizes (typical) | 0.25–1 acre | 0.5–5 acres | | Top employer alignment | NIH, Walter Reed, federal MoCo | CIA, State Dept, Tysons private sector |

This is most of the reason the same buyer family will look at Potomac and McLean side-by-side and pick differently depending on where they work.

How This List Compares to "Best Places to Live"

The wealthiest is not the same as the best. Bethesda ranks higher than Potomac on most "best places to live" lists because of walkability, density of amenities, and Metro access — Potomac wins on schools, lot size, and exclusivity but loses on walkability. Niche.com and Money magazine "best places" lists optimize for a more rounded set of factors; this list optimizes specifically for wealth concentration.

For the broader "best to live" frame, see Best DC Suburbs for Families 2026 and the Bethesda vs Chevy Chase vs Potomac buyer's comparison.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the single wealthiest suburb in the DC area?

By median home price, Great Falls, VA and Chevy Chase Village, MD trade places at the top each year. By median household income, Great Falls is typically #1 with Potomac and McLean close behind. There is no clean single answer because the metrics disagree.

Is Potomac, MD wealthier than Bethesda?

By median home price, Potomac edges out Bethesda overall — but Bethesda contains both sub-million-dollar condos and $5M+ estates, so the city-wide median is dragged down by housing diversity. If you compare estate-grade Bethesda (Kenwood, Glen Echo Heights) to estate-grade Potomac (Avenel, Falconhurst), they're very close.

Why isn't Arlington on the list?

Arlington's wealthiest sub-neighborhoods (Country Club Hills, Donaldson Run, parts of North Arlington) are wealthy by any standard, but Arlington overall is more economically mixed and denser than the estate-suburb profile this list captures. Arlington shows up consistently on "best places to live" lists rather than "wealthiest suburbs" lists for that reason.

What's the property tax bill on a $1.5M home in these suburbs?

In Maryland (Potomac, Bethesda, Chevy Chase), expect ~$18,000–$20,000/year at the ~$1.10–$1.20 per $100 effective rate. In Virginia (McLean, Great Falls), expect ~$13,000–$15,000/year. See the Montgomery County property tax guide for the Maryland math.

How does the wealthiest suburb question compare to "best schools"?

There's significant overlap but it's not identical. Of the top 10 above, all have top-decile schools, but the very best Niche.com–ranked DC-area public high schools (Langley, Churchill, Walter Johnson, Madison, Yorktown, Falls Church City, River Hill) drive the school-quality version of the list. The "wealthiest" list also includes country-club enclaves (Belmont, Kenwood) that are wealthy more for lifestyle/exclusivity than school dominance.

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Related Resources

• Best DC Suburbs for Families 2026
• Bethesda vs Chevy Chase vs Potomac: Where to Buy in 2026
• Luxury Neighborhoods in Montgomery County, MD
• Jumbo Loans in Bethesda & Potomac (2026)

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Thinking about buying in one of these suburbs? Reach out — I work the Bethesda/Chevy Chase/Potomac corridor every week and can give you the honest read on which one actually fits your situation, not just the rankings.