Pay and cost of living in Arlington County, VA
Across the 108 occupations we cover in Arlington County, VA, the middle median salary is $66,125 a year. Pay runs from $34,600 for Fast Food and Counter Workers up to $195,190 for Computer and Information Systems Managers, a spread of $160,590. Wages come from the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV survey area.
A one-bedroom apartment in Arlington County, VA has a HUD Fair Market Rent of $2,204 a month and a two-bedroom $2,438. Rent, food, home energy and gasoline for one adult add up to $33,432 a year. After federal, FICA and state income taxes, the average occupation here takes home $60,403 a year, and 92 of the 108 occupations listed here (85%) earn enough take-home pay to cover the four basics.
Open any occupation below for its full payslip, the tax breakdown, the rent comparison and a plain-English explanation of what is left after the basics. Every figure uses the same method, so results are comparable from one job and one county to the next.
Housing, taxes and commute in Arlington County, VA
The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for Arlington County, VA, set beside the Virginia and national medians.
Median household income in Arlington County, VA is $142,114, 53% above the Virginia median of $93,170 and $80,734 nationally. A year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent ($26,448) equals 18.6% of that income. The median of the occupation medians listed here, $66,125, is 53% below household income, which is expected because a household can hold more than one earner.
Homeowners in Arlington County, VA pay a median of $8,153 a year in real estate taxes, 192% above the Virginia median of $2,790. With a median home value of $895,000, 133% above the Virginia median of $383,700, the ratio of the two medians is 0.91% a year.
Renters in Arlington County, VA pay a median gross rent of $2,322 a month in the Census survey, 47% above the Virginia median of $1,579. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent used for the budgets on this site is $2,204; the Census figure covers rental units of every size.
Workers in Arlington County, VA who travel to a workplace spend an average of 26.2 minutes each way, 4% below the Virginia average of 27.3. 35.3% of workers work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally.