Millennial parents living in Washington, DC, or nearby suburbs, are in one of the best places in the country for them, at least according to a new national ranking.
WalletHub, a personal finance company, recently released its list of the Best States for Millennials, and the District of Columbia came in at No. 2 overall, just behind Washington state.
The study analyzed all 50 states plus the District of Columbia using five factors that speak directly to the priorities of today’s millennials. Many of whom are now in their peak parenting years.
What went into the rankings?
WalletHub ranked each state using five key categories:
- Affordability
- Education and health
- Quality of life
- Economic health
- Civic engagement
The District of Columbia scored especially high in civic engagement and education-related metrics, areas that are often important to parents looking for community involvement and strong public resources.
How did Washington, DC score?
Here’s how the District ranked out of 100:
- Affordability: 22.5
- Education and health: 22.5
- Quality of life: 22.5
- Economic health: 22.5
- Civic engagement: 10
While DC performed strongly across all categories, including affordability, education, and quality of life, it was a slightly lower score in civic engagement that kept it from taking the top spot, ultimately landing it at No. 2 overall.
What about nearby areas in Maryland and Virginia?
DC might be at the top of the list, but many millennial families opt to live just outside the city, where housing may be more affordable, schools have strong reputations and quality of life remains high.
Here’s how neighboring states ranked overall:
- Maryland: No. 31
- Virginia: No. 9
Both states showed solid performance in categories like education, health and quality of life, reinforcing the idea that the DMV region as a whole is a great place for millennial parents to live.
Top DMV communities millennial families are choosing
WalletHub’s report focused on state-level data, but there are several smaller cities and suburbs around DC that are popular with millennial families for their schools, green spaces and access to the city.
Some top choices include:
- Fredericksburg, VA
- Manassas, VA
- Bethesda, MD
- Silver Spring, MD
- Bowie, MD
- College Park, MD
These areas offer walkability, strong public services and a good balance between city life and family-friendly amenities.
How the rankings were decided
To create the rankings, WalletHub used 34 individual metrics across five main categories. For example, affordability included data on housing costs, average millennial income and childcare expenses. Civic engagement factored in things like volunteer rates and voter participation.
Sources included federal data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics and public health databases, along with cost-of-living figures from industry trackers.
You can visit WalletHub’s methodology section for a full breakdown of how scores were calculated.
Let’s Take a Look at How Some Favorite DMV Towns Ranked
WalletHub also evaluated over 1,300 small cities (25,000–100,000 residents) across the U.S. Here’s how several DMV communities performed:
DMV Town Rankings by Percentile
| City | State | Approx. Percentile Ranking* |
| Fredericksburg | VA | 59th Percentile (score ~59.2) |
| Mannasas | VA | 86th Percentile (score~64.04) |
| Bethesda | MD | 94th Percentile (score ~65.79) |
| Silver Spring | MD | 69th Percentile (score ~ 60.84) |
| Bowie | MD | 69th Percentile (score ~ 60.81) |
| College Park | MD | 14th Percentile (score ~ 51.45) |
*Percentiles based on WalletHub’s groupings where 99th percentile = top 1% of small U.S. cities.
How These Communities Score Across Categories
While full city-level breakdowns (e.g. affordability, safety, quality of life) weren’t publicly listed, WalletHub’s methodology includes 45 metrics across five categories: affordability; economic health; education and health; quality of life; and safety.
- Fredericksburg, VA, landed in the 59th percentile overall, performing especially well in economic health and quality of life — in fact, it ranked first in Virginia for quality of life and 23rd nationwide.
- Manassas, VA, scored in the 78th percentile overall, with notable strengths in economic health and quality of life, signaling solid livability for families.
- Bethesda, MD, also ranks among the top 6% nationwide, with strong education and health credentials — within roughly the top 19 in Maryland city rankings.
- Silver Spring, MD, and Bowie, MD, both land around the 69th percentile, positioning them in the upper middle tier nationally.
- College Park, MD, comes in at approximately the 14th percentile, likely due to affordability and economic health metrics being influenced by a large student population.
Why This Matters for Millennial Parents
DC, Maryland and Virginia collectively form one of the most supportive regions for young families:
- Washington, DC, offers high performance in job opportunities, education, healthcare access and community engagement. Its only relative dip is in civic engagement, which still ranks high enough to boost its overall standing.
- Bethesda delivers top-tier schools, walkable neighborhoods, and robust quality of life.
- Silver Spring and Bowie offer a balance of affordability and access to urban amenities.
- College Park, though more modest in scores, still benefits from proximity to major employment centers and universities.
Together, they show that the DMV region offers a rich mix of affordability, opportunity and family-friendly environments, exactly what many millennial parents prioritize.
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