Fairfax has scored a Top 5 spot on a ranking of the healthiest counties in the U.S.
The 2025 Niche rankings released last week found that Fairfax County is the fifth healthiest county in the country based on a review of 2,764 counties.
Niche’s healthiest ranking is based on a combination of smoking, alcohol abuse and obesity rates as well as access to healthcare, mental health and fitness centers, based on statistics from the U.S. Census and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Boulder, Colorado, came in first place, while nearby Montgomery County, Maryland, was in third.
Fairfax County also ranked 16th for best counties to raise families and 22nd in best counties to live in.
Niche says the housing grade is calculated based on home values, property taxes, housing costs, local schools and more. Housing is among the most heavily weighted factors in the Best Counties to Live ranking, behind the percentage of residents with a higher education degree and the cost of living.
In Virginia, Fairfax was named the healthiest county. It also scored second place for outdoor activities (behind York County) and third on the lists for best counties to raise children, young professionals, and best overall to live in.
For best Virginia counties to live in, Fairfax trailed York and Loudoun.
One caveat for all of those rankings is that neighboring Arlington County is ranked as a city.
Fairfax County’s lowest ranking for 2025 was for best counties to buy a house in America, where it came in at 1,319 out of 2,764.
Fairfax County isn’t a newcomer to Niche’s Best Places to Live in America rankings: back in 2023, it was ranked as the 25th best county to live in, so this year’s placement represents an improvement. It was also ranked as one of the healthiest communities in 2024 by U.S. News & World Report.
