Arlington, Virginia

Arlington is an urban county in northern Virginia, located directly across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Arlington County is the same area as the U.S. Census Bureau’s census-designated place of Arlington. In 2020, it had a population of 238,643 people. It is also the smallest self-governing county in the United States, with a land area of only 26 square miles. Despite its compact size, Arlington punches well above its weight economically, politically, and institutionally — home to the Pentagon, Amazon’s East Coast headquarters, Arlington National Cemetery, and one of the most educated and affluent workforces in the nation.

Founding and History

Established as Bellehaven (later Alexandria) county, it was ceded to the Federal Government in 1789 and became part of the District of Columbia. The area was retroceded to Virginia in 1846 after Congress determined the federal government did not need the Virginia-side land for its purposes, and it remained Alexandria County until 1920, when it was renamed Arlington County after the Arlington Estate — the historic home of the Custis and Lee families overlooking the Potomac.

During the Civil War, Union forces immediately occupied Arlington to protect the capital. Robert E. Lee, a colonel in the U.S. Army, son-in-law of George Washington Parke Custis, and owner of Arlington Plantation following Custis’s death, left for Richmond with his family on April 22, 1861, to accept command of Virginia’s army. The federal government confiscated the estate and in 1864 designated part of it as a burial ground for Union soldiers — the origin of Arlington National Cemetery. The Pentagon was constructed across the river in 1941–43, transforming Arlington into a center of American military power and federal employment.

The arrival of the Washington Metro in the late 1970s was another turning point. The corridor between Rosslyn and Ballston experienced revitalization driven by mixed-use, transit-oriented development. Other areas near Blue Line stations, such as Pentagon City, also became urbanized with numerous office complexes and retail centers. As a consequence of reduced rents caused by Orange Line construction, Clarendon became a Vietnamese enclave as refugees migrated to Arlington from Southeast Asia in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Known by names like “Little Saigon,” Clarendon was one of the largest Southeast Asian commercial centers on the East Coast into the 1980s.

On September 11, 2001, the Pentagon was targeted as part of the September 11 attacks, when American Airlines Flight 77 was hijacked and crashed into the building by five Al-Qaeda terrorists. The attack killed all 64 passengers and 125 people in the Pentagon, and is memorialized by the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial located on the grounds of the complex.

Geography

Arlington is connected to Washington by five bridges — Francis Scott Key, Arlington Memorial, George Mason, Theodore Roosevelt, and Rochambeau Memorial. About 20 percent of Arlington’s land is federal property occupied by Arlington National Cemetery, Washington National Airport, Fort Myer, and the Pentagon and other government offices. The county is traversed north-south by I-395 and east-west by I-66, with the George Washington Memorial Parkway running along the Potomac River. Four Mile Run and its tributary valleys provide the county’s main natural corridors. The county contains no incorporated cities or towns — Arlington County and the census-designated place of Arlington are coextensive.

Demographics

In 2020, Arlington had a population of 238,643. According to American Community Survey 2023 estimates, Arlington’s median age was 35.7, with adults aged 25 to 29 being the largest age bracket at 12.8% of the total population. 77.7% of the population has attained a bachelor’s degree or higher; 42% of residents have a Master’s or professional degree. 21.7% of Arlington’s population is foreign-born.

The county’s Non-Hispanic White population grew in absolute numbers but declined as a share of the total population (58.52% in 2020 vs. 64.04% in 2010), and the county’s Asian population grew by 37.8% and reached a population share of 11.41%. With a mean annual income estimated at $114,097, Arlington is one of the wealthiest municipalities in the United States; 31.3% of households had an annual income of $200,000 or more. In 2024, the median property value in Arlington, VA was $895,000, and the homeownership rate was 41.3%.

Government

Arlington is governed by an elected five-member County Board and a professional County Manager. The County Board sets policy and appoints the County Manager, who handles day-to-day administration. The Arlington County Board held its annual Organizational Meeting on January 5, 2026, electing Matt de Ferranti as Board Chair and Maureen Coffey as Vice-Chair. The Board operates on a nonpartisan ballot, though in practice all five members have been Democrats for many years, reflecting the county’s strongly left-leaning political character. Arlington falls within Virginia’s 8th congressional district.

Arlington’s unique status as an independent county — not part of any city — means it provides all municipal services itself, including schools, police, fire, parks, and libraries. The county has consistently earned high marks for financial management and has maintained a AAA bond rating from all three major agencies.

Economy

Arlington County’s economy is primarily service-based, with a majority of its estimated 221,200 workers employed in professional services, technology companies, and federal, state, and municipal government in 2025; public employees made up around 20% of the workforce. Many private companies with a presence in Arlington serve various government agencies in Washington as contractors, including Deloitte, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Accenture. Large defense and aerospace corporations such as Boeing, RTX Corporation, and Lockheed Martin are either headquartered or have offices in Arlington. Corporations either unaffiliated with or that have operations outside of the public sector, like Amazon, CoStar, and Nestlé, have also established themselves in Arlington.

The most transformative recent economic development is Amazon’s second headquarters, known as HQ2. In 2018, Amazon announced it would build one of its main headquarters in the Crystal City neighborhood, now branded as National Landing. The first phase opened in 2023, with the twin-tower Metropolitan Park complex, and Amazon has committed to creating up to 25,000 jobs in the area over time in exchange for $819 million in Virginia state incentives.

70% of all jobs in Arlington are in the county’s “planning corridors,” which include Rosslyn-Ballston and the Richmond Highway corridor. In 2023, Arlington County’s GDP totaled $47.3 billion.

Education

Arlington is served by Arlington Public Schools (APS), which enrolls approximately 28,000 students across more than 40 schools. The district is consistently rated among the top urban school systems in Virginia and the nation. Arlington’s highly educated adult population — with nearly 78% holding at least a bachelor’s degree — creates extraordinary demand for high-quality schools, and the district offers a range of magnet and specialty programs including Arlington Tech, H-B Woodlawn, and the IB program at Washington-Liberty High School.

Higher education institutions within Arlington include Marymount University, a Catholic liberal arts university founded in 1950, and Strayer University’s Virginia campus. The county benefits from proximity to Georgetown University, George Washington University, George Mason University in Fairfax, and many other regional institutions. Virginia Tech has a graduate campus in Arlington’s Innovation District, anchoring the county’s emerging tech education ecosystem.

Culture and Landmarks

Arlington’s most iconic institution is Arlington National Cemetery, the 639-acre burial ground for American military personnel, veterans, and notable public figures. It holds the graves of President John F. Kennedy — marked by an eternal flame — President William Howard Taft, Supreme Court justices, and hundreds of thousands of service members. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, guarded around the clock, is among the most solemnly visited sites in the country.

The Pentagon, the world’s largest office building by floor space, houses the U.S. Department of Defense and employs approximately 26,000 military and civilian personnel. The National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, opened in 2008, honors the 184 victims of the attack. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), located along the Potomac River in Arlington, is one of the busiest airports in the country and the most convenient for travel to and from DC.

The Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, running along the Orange and Silver Metro lines, is the county’s urban spine, dense with high-rise offices, apartments, restaurants, and retail. Clarendon and Columbia Pike offer vibrant dining and nightlife scenes. The Iwo Jima Memorial (Marine Corps War Memorial) stands at the northern tip of the county. The DEA Museum in Arlington traces the history of the Drug Enforcement Administration and drug policy in America. The county maintains over 100 miles of bike paths and trails, including the popular Custis, Four Mile Run, and Washington & Old Dominion trails.

Notable People

Sandra Day O’Connor (1930–2023) — First female U.S. Supreme Court Justice; associated with Arlington. Jim Webb (b. 1946) — Former U.S. Senator and Secretary of the Navy, raised in Arlington. Warren Beatty (b. 1937) — Actor and filmmaker born in Richmond but raised in Arlington. Shirley MacLaine (b. 1934) — Academy Award-winning actress and author who grew up in Arlington. Dave Grohl (b. 1969) — Musician and founder of Foo Fighters, raised in Springfield, Virginia, in the broader Northern Virginia area. Arthur Ashe (1943–1993) — Tennis champion born in Richmond; deeply associated with the Virginia/DC region. The county has also been home to scores of senior military officers, cabinet members, members of Congress, and intelligence community leaders given its proximity to the Pentagon and federal agencies.

At a Glance