A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Front Royal$2,190/mo

Typical home $386K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.51% · or rent about $1,135/mo · Housing →

Laurel$1,660/mo

Typical home $284K (Census) · tax rate 0.72% · or rent about $1,616/mo · Housing →

The difference: $530 a month, about $6,400 a year, between Front Royal and Laurel.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Laurel places higher on 13 of 20 VA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Virginia ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

C+Front RoyalSafer than 37% of U.S. towns –LaurelNot graded

Schools

BFront RoyalBetter than 59% of districts in the state C+LaurelBetter than 39% of districts in the state

Health

C−Front RoyalHealthier than 25% of U.S. towns BLaurelHealthier than 58% of U.S. towns

7Front Royal

13Laurel

Lists won, of 20 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most conserved landOutdoors · 243 towns #49#236 Highest graduation rateSchools · 249 towns #36#206 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 255 towns #216#53 Most walkableOutdoors · 255 towns #176#31 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 95 towns #27#81 Shortest commuteGetting around · 255 towns #211#85 Lowest depressionHealth · 255 towns #203#122 Lowest obesityHealth · 255 towns #198#126

Left end = #1 in Virginia. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Front Royal’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

Front RoyalLaurel

Snow a year21″15″

January low24°F 27°F

July high87°F 87°F

Growing season (days)196d 201d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)61st 7th

Outdoors & history

Front RoyalLaurel

Trails2 mi 0 mi

Conserved land11.8%0.1%

Settled1788 —

National Register places11 —

Archive photos18 —

Famous people born here17 —

Community

Front RoyalLaurel

Library hours a week54 hrs —

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

96 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Front RoyalVA LaurelVA

Front Royal ↔ Laurel96 miles apart

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Virginia average

Front RoyalLaurel

People

Population 15,296Lowest 18,721Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +4%Lowest VA: +7.9% +6.3%Highest VA: +7.9%

Median age 37.7±3Highest 3% below VA 35.1±1.8Lowest 10% below VA

Front Royal and Laurel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 21.7%±2.7Highest VA: 21.7% 21%±2.6Lowest VA: 21.7%

Front Royal and Laurel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 17.1%±2.1Highest VA: 16.7% 11.8%±1.3Lowest VA: 16.7%

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 18.8%Lowest VA: 42.2% 29.8%Highest VA: 42.2%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.5%±1.3Lowest VA: 6.9% 7.9%±2.6Highest VA: 6.9%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $64,838±$8kLowest 30% below VA $73,609±$9kHighest 21% below VA

Laurel and Front Royal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $314,400±$18kHighest 18% below VA $283,600±$9kLowest 26% below VA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,135±$60Lowest 28% below VA $1,616±$94Highest about the VA average

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,600Lowest 43% below VA $2,036Highest 27% below VA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 42.4%±8.2Lowest VA: 48.5% 57.2%±8.6Highest VA: 48.5%

Laurel and Front Royal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 14.3%Highest VA: 9.9% 8.4%Lowest VA: 9.9%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 58.2%Highest VA: 67.3% 51.8%Lowest VA: 67.3%

Typical home builtmedian year 1975Lowest 9 yrs older than VA 1982Highest 2 yrs older than VA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 33 minHighest 20% above VA 24 minLowest 12% below VA

Work from home 8.9%±2.4Lowest VA: 18.3% 15.7%±2.8Highest VA: 18.3%

Work in townworking residents 18.7%Highest 3.6%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 33.8 miHighest 8.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.86Lowest 1.44Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Winchester (6%)Richmond (20%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LaurelFew work in Front Royal

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 11.8%Highest 0.1%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 1.8 miHighest 0.3 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miHighest 0.1 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 7Highest 1Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 49.0Lowest 116Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #125 of 219 in VA #181 of 219 in VA

School district Warren County Public SchoolsDepartment of Education State-Operated Educ Prgms · Henrico County Public Schools

High school in town Warren County HighHermitage High

Students per teacherat that high school 13.2Lowest 16.7Highest

Virginia average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Front Royal neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Front Royal’s Town Square.

Laurel neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Laurel’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Front Royal and Laurel

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Towns like Front Royal

+ Compare

Waynesboro22,841 people · $246K homes

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Hopewell22,959 people · $182K homes

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Vinton8,056 people · $191K homes

+ Compare

Franklin8,250 people · $257K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Front Royal vs Laurel

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $530 more a month in Front Royal

Laurel places higher on 13 of 20 VA lists

What daily life feels like in each

96 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Front Royal and Laurel

Towns like Front Royal

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