Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C., the nation's capital. The county is predominantly suburban in character with some urban and rural pockets.
Fairfax County | |
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Mount Vernon mansion | |
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Flag Seal Logo | |
Location within the U.S. state of Virginia | |
Virginia's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 38.83°N 77.28°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| Founded | June 19, 1742 |
| Named for | Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron |
| Seat | Fairfax (independent city)1 |
| Largest town | Herndon |
| Area | |
| • Total | 406 sq mi (1,050 km2) |
| • Land | 391.02 sq mi (1,012.7 km2) |
| • Water | 15.47 sq mi (40.1 km2) 3.8% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 1,150,309 |
| • Density | 2,941.82/sq mi (1,135.84/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 20120, 20121, 20122, 20124, 20151, 20152, 20153, 20164, 20166, 20170, 20171, 20172, 20190, 20191, 20192, 20194, 20195, 20196, 22003, 22009, 22015, 22018, 22019, 22027, 22030, 22031, 22032, 22033, 22035, 22037, 22038, 22039, 22041, 22042, 22043, 22044, 22046, 22060, 22066, 22067, 22079, 22081, 22082, 22101, 22102, 22106, 22116, 22121, 22124, 22150, 22151, 22152, 22153, 22158, 22159, 22160, 22161, 22180, 22181, 22182, 22183, 22185, 22199, 22203, 22204, 22205, 22206, 22207, 22213, 22302, 22303, 22304, 22306, 22307, 22308, 22309, 22310, 22311, 22312, 22315 |
| Area code | 703, 571 |
| Congressional districts | 8th, 10th, 11th |
| Website | www |
| 1 Administrative and court offices are located in unincorporated areas in Fairfax County | |
As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,150,309, making it the most populous jurisdiction in Virginia, with around 13% of the state's population, the most populous jurisdiction in the Washington metropolitan area, with around 20% of the MSA population, and the most populous location in the Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area, with around 13% of the CSA population. The county seat is Fairfax; however, because it is an independent city under Virginia law, the city of Fairfax is not part of the county.
Fairfax was the first U.S. county to reach a six-figure median household income and has the fifth-highest median household income among all U.S. counties as of 2020. As part of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, it is usually included atop or near the top of lists of the wealthiest areas in the United States.
The county is home to the headquarters of four intelligence agencies: the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, and the National Counterterrorism Center. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is also based in the county. In academia, the county is home to the flagship campus of George Mason University, CIA University-Sherman Kent School for Intelligence Analysis, and several Northern Virginia Community College campuses. Seven Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in the county as of 2012.