[Greater DC]

City of Falls Church

Fast Facts:

  • The City of Falls Church was home to 14,685 people and had 7,097 housing units in 2023. Since 2010, the City of Falls Church has added an average of 200 people and 100 housing units per year.
  • Fifty percent of households were renters and 39 percent of renters had unaffordable housing costs.
  • Falls Church exceeded the annual production target of 130 units, with 464 new units built in 2024. Cumulatively, Falls Church has produced at least 1,388 units since 2019, exceeding its 6-year target of 780.
Sources: Census Population and Housing Unit Estimates, Decennial Census, American Community Survey (2019-23), and the HIT survey of local jurisdictions.
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City of Falls Church
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Policy Status

Solving the region's affordable housing crisis requires a portfolio of policies to preserve existing affordable housing, produce more housing, and protect people from discrimination and displacement.

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Right of First Refusal

  • City of Falls Church

Preservation Inventory - Subsidized

  • City of Falls Church

Preservation Inventory - Unsubsidized

  • City of Falls Church

Rental Assistance Demonstration

  • City of Falls Church

Energy Efficiency Upgrades for Homeowners

  • City of Falls Church

Energy Efficiency Upgrades of Affordable Housing

  • City of Falls Church

Housing Outcomes

Local jurisdictions submitted data to enable the region to track housing production, preservation, and rental affordability.

Amount of Housing

Number of units built by type

02004006008001,000Units39130City of Falls Church201920202021202220232024
Multifamily
Single-family

Affordability of Housing

Share of units affordable to households with low incomes

020406080100Percent City ofFalls Church0%0%17%8%8%14%
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024

Accessibility of Housing

Share of affordable units in COG Activity Centers or near high-capacity transit

020406080100Percent City ofFalls Church0%0%100%100%100%100%
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024

Housing Cost: Lowest
Percentage
# of Units

Units built affordable to households with incomes 0-29.9% of area median

020406080100Share of annual target City ofFalls Church0%0%0%0%0%0%
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024

Housing Cost: Low
Percentage
# of Units

Units built affordable to households with incomes 30-49.9% of area median

020406080100Share of annual target City ofFalls Church0%0%0%0%0%41%
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024

Housing Cost: Low-Middle
Percentage
# of Units

Units built affordable to households with incomes 50-79.9% of area median

020406080100Share of annual target City ofFalls Church0%0%113%125%113%233%
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024

Building Permits for New Construction

Number of units permitted by type

05001,0001,5002,000Units2800City of Falls Church2021202220232024
Multifamily
Single-family

Affordable Housing in Development

Number of units

05001,0001,5002,000Units879900City of Falls Church2021202220232024
Under construction
In the pipeline

Affordable Housing Preservation

Number of units preserved as committed affordable by type

0200400600800Units0City of Falls Church202220232024
Units with existing subsidies
Units previously unsubsidized

Structural Racism

Discriminatory actions and racist public policies have produced inequitable outcomes for Black, Indigenous, and people of color in the Washington region, including lower incomes and wealth, lower homeownership rates, and higher rates of housing cost burden.

Income

Average household income by race and ethnicity, 2019-23

$0$50,000$100,000$150,000$200,000$ City ofFalls ChurchRace and ethnicity$173,100$152,700$223,900
Asian or Pacific Islander
Black
Hispanic/Latinx
Indigenous, Other or Multiple Race
White

Note: Categories are not mutually exclusive. People identifying as Hispanic may also be represented in other bars except white.

Source: American Community Survey

Homeownership

Homeownership rate by race and ethnicity, 2019-23

020406080100Percent City ofFalls ChurchRace and ethnicity62%37%53%
Asian or Pacific Islander
Black
Hispanic/Latinx
Indigenous, Other or Multiple Race
White

Note: Categories are not mutually exclusive. People identifying as Hispanic may also be represented in other bars except white.

Source: American Community Survey

Homebuying

Share of mortgage originations by race and ethnicity, 2023

For first-lien owner-occupied home purchases of 1-4 unit dwellings

020406080100Percent City ofFalls ChurchRace and ethnicity3%6%21%69%
Asian or Pacific Islander
Black
Hispanic/Latinx
Indigenous or Multiple race
White

Note: Categories are mutually exclusive, borrowers identifying as Hispanic are not also represented in a race category. For mortgages with an applicant and a co-applicant, if they identify the same way they are captured in that category, otherwise if they have different identities they would be included in the Indigenous or Multiple race category.

Source: Home Mortgage Disclosure Act

Credit Denials

Ratio of denial rates for mortgages between white borrowers and borrowers of color, 2023

For first-lien owner-occupied home purchases of 1-4 unit dwellings

00.20.40.60.81Ratio City ofFalls Church0.418

Note: If White borrowers and borrowers of Color were denied mortgages at the same rate we would expect to see a ratio equal to 1. Values under 1 indicate that borrowers of Color have higher denial rates than White borrowers.

Source: Home Mortgage Disclosure Act

Rental Housing Cost Burden

Renter households paying more than 30% of their monthly income in rent, 2019-23

020406080100Percent City ofFalls ChurchRace and ethnicity50%55%57%36%
Asian or Pacific Islander
Black
Hispanic/Latinx
Indigenous, Other or Multiple Race
White

Note: Categories are not mutually exclusive. People identifying as Hispanic may also be represented in other bars except white. Households paying more than 30 percent of their monthly income in housing costs are considered to be cost burdened.

Source: American Community Survey

Owner Housing Cost Burden

Owner households paying more than 30% of their monthly income in housing costs, 2019-23

020406080100Percent City ofFalls ChurchRace and ethnicity13%
Asian or Pacific Islander
Black
Hispanic/Latinx
Indigenous, Other or Multiple Race
White

Note: Categories are not mutually exclusive. People identifying as Hispanic may also be represented in other bars except white. Households paying more than 30 percent of their monthly income in housing costs are considered to be cost burdened.

Source: American Community Survey

Housing Context

Understanding how household incomes relate to the supply of affordable rental and homeownership units will inform jurisdictions' efforts to meet the current and future housing needs of residents.

Housing Cost Burden

Renter households paying more than 30% of their monthly income in rent, 2019-23

020406080100Percent City ofFalls Church39%

Note: Households paying more than 30 percent of their monthly income in housing costs are considered to be cost burdened.

Source: American Community Survey

Affordable Homebuying

Share of mortgage originations to households with moderate incomes and below, 2023

For first-lien owner-occupied home purchases of 1-4 unit dwellings

020406080100Percent City ofFalls Church8%6%
0-80% of area median
80-120% of area median income

Source: Home Mortgage Disclosure Act

Elected Officials

  1. Laura Downs
  2. Justine Underhill

    Justine Underhill

    Council Member

  3. Erin Flynn
  4. David F. Snyder

    David F. Snyder

    Council Member

  5. Debbie Hiscott
  6. Marybeth Connelly

    Marybeth Connelly

    Council Member

  7. Letty Hardi

Housing Official

  1. Dana Lewis

    Dana Lewis

    Director, Housing & Human Services