Whether you’re interested in politics or just a night on the town, Washington, D.C. is one of the most thrilling cities in the U.S.—especially for young professionals. But what if you’d rather live outside the city limits? Today we’ve compiled a list of the very best options for young professionals like yourself, using sources like the U.S. Census, AreaVibes , and local business listings.
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With a population of nearly 215,000 and 21.9 percent of those residents being between the age of 22 and 29, well, that’s a whole lot of young people. They’re also a whole lot of young, employed people, which is good for you and for going out with any friends you make since they can actually afford to pay their own way. There are plenty of going out options to be had in Arlington with about 1,500 bars, over 5,000 restaurants, hundreds of theaters, art galleries, and museums. And, of course, if you’re a history buff, you’ll have no shortage of things to see. The only drawback is that Arlington is pretty expensive—particularly when it comes to buying a home. So if you’re looking to move here, you might want to start out renting.
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This is another great community for the budget-conscious young professional. Because of its affordability, Silver Spring attracts people from all over the world, from all backgrounds, making it a diverse community. This can be seen in everything from the varying housing options and homes for sale, from apartments and condos to larger, single family homes, to the restaurants, the shops, and the festivals and events. This is a community filled with unique restaurants, bars, and tons of young people to meet.
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This artsy city is a welcome combination of old town charm and all of the modern amenities you’ll need. There are boat cruises, art galleries, more restaurants than you’ll be able to hit up in a year, and then there are more art galleries. In fact, Alexandria was voted one of America’s Top Art Places recently since it’s home to over 80 artist studios and galleries, the Art League School, the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association, and more. The residential areas of Alexandria are more your typical “suburbia,” with lots of single family homes, but there are also townhome, condo, and apartment options downtown, which might be better suited for 20-somethings.
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Maryland’s capital is a vibrant little city with a bustling downtown, a young population, and tons of things to do. It’s also more affordable than living in D.C.—always a plus for a young professional. It’s a well known center for sailing and boating, where neighborhoods like Eastport retain much of the old maritime character from the time the city was founded centuries ago. As far as housing goes, the homes here are just about as diverse as the people. You’ll find everything from apartments and condos downtown to larger, single-family homes on tree-lined residential streets.
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Because of Frederick’s low cost of living for the area, this place is abuzz with other young people—good news if you’re moving here on your own. Downtown Frederick is a surprisingly lively and urban little area, with a growing restaurant scene, and of course, if you do run out of options, you’re not very far from D.C. or Baltimore. If you’re looking to be near the action, but not in the heart of downtown, check out the areas north of 9th street and east of 15 or Monocacy Village if you’re looking to keep your budget low.
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Gaithersburg earns the sixth spot on this list of DC suburbs because of its relatively low unemployment rate and midrange cost of living. If you’re the kind of ambitious young professional ready to buy your first home, you’ll have a lot of choices, ranging from colonials and brick ramblers to townhouses and condos. Gaithersburg has a variety of restaurants to please your palate after a long day at work. Take your pick from Mexican, Thai, Italian, or even Peruvian food, or celebrate the weekend at Dogfish Head Alehouse.
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This Maryland community of about 18,000 residents is growing quickly these days, and for good reason. Hyattsville is a walkable place dotted with restaurants and stores. The downtown area is called the “Arts District,” and, as a young professional, is probably where you’ll be spending most of your time. Of course, you’ll also be spending time in D.C., so it’s a good thing the Washington Metro green Line has two stations in the city (West Hyattsville and Prince George’s Plaza.) Depending on where you live in Hyattsville and where you’re working, you could totally get away with not having a car.
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With tons of restaurants, shops, and bars, a good-sized group of young residents, and access to three metro stops, Rockville is a great place for young professionals to call home. Check out the Rockville Town Center for ice skating, lots of restaurants and shops, live music, and shows. If you’re looking to buy, take a look at some of the condos Rockville has to offer.
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This suburb is mostly residential, which makes it a good home base for those commuting elsewhere for work, and yet the downtown area has everything you’ll need in a pinch. There are over 200 restaurants, movie theaters, grocery stores, gyms, spas, and plenty of bars like Main Street Sports Grill and PW’s Sports Bar, packed with other young people. The thing that makes Laurel unique, though, is that even with all of its amenities, it manages to maintain a quaint and charming historic district on its Main Street, and dotted around town are beautiful old homes to match. Of course these will cost you more than a townhome or condo, but there are also plenty of these in Laurel.
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Bethesda is on the pricier end of this list of DC suburbs, but it has plenty of amenities. Downtown Bethesda always has something going on. Check out 4935 Bar and Kitchen for cocktails or Gringos & Mariachis for great margaritas. Bethesda is a fairly quiet once you get out to the residential sections, so it might be a better match for those who are thinking of settling down sometime soon.
In order to come up with this list of the best Washington, D.C. suburbs for young professionals, we used sources like the U.S. Census, AreaVibes, and local business listings to look at each of D.C.’s 32 suburbs in terms of these criteria:
We ranked each place with a score from one to 32 in the above young professional-friendly categories and then averaged all of these into one overall score for each place. The ten lowest scores went to the our 10 best D.C. suburbs for young professionals. To see more of the top-ranking Washington D.C. suburbs for young professionals, check out the table below. 
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