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%

Winchester$2,350/mo

Typical home $401K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.76% · or rent about $1,315/mo · Housing →

Laurel$1,660/mo

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

The difference: $700 a month, about $8,400 a year, between Winchester 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 12 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−WinchesterSafer than 23% of U.S. towns –LaurelNot graded

Schools

C+WinchesterBetter than 35% of districts in the state C+LaurelBetter than 39% of districts in the state

Health

CWinchesterHealthier than 27% of U.S. towns BLaurelHealthier than 58% of U.S. towns

8Winchester

12Laurel

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

Most conserved landOutdoors · 243 towns #64#236 Lowest depressionHealth · 255 towns #203#122 Most activeHealth · 255 towns #206#139 HealthiestHealth · 254 towns #211#153 Shortest commuteGetting around · 255 towns #36#85 Lowest obesityHealth · 255 towns #170#126 Most walkableOutdoors · 255 towns #71#31 Fewest smokersHealth · 255 towns #205#166

Left end = #1 in Virginia. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Winchester’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

WinchesterLaurel

Snow a year23″15″

January low24°F 27°F

July high86°F 87°F

Growing season (days)200d 201d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)6th 7th

Outdoors & history

WinchesterLaurel

Trails8 mi 0 mi

Conserved land9.9%0.1%

Settled1752 —

National Register places30 —

Archive photos18 —

Famous people born here59 —

Community

WinchesterLaurel

Library hours a week54 hrs —

Colleges in town1 —

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

112 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

WinchesterVA LaurelVA

Winchester ↔ Laurel112 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

WinchesterLaurel

People

Population 27,913Highest 18,721Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +7.3%Highest VA: +7.9% +6.3%Lowest VA: +7.9%

Median age 36.8±1.1Highest 6% below VA 35.1±1.8Lowest 10% below VA

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

Kids under 18 22.5%±1.7Highest VA: 21.7% 21%±2.6Lowest VA: 21.7%

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

Age 65+ 16.7%±1.4Highest VA: 16.7% 11.8%±1.3Lowest VA: 16.7%

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 31.3%Highest VA: 42.2% 29.8%Lowest VA: 42.2%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 9.2%±1.4Highest VA: 6.9% 7.9%±2.6Lowest VA: 6.9%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $63,974±$2kLowest 31% below VA $73,609±$9kHighest 21% below VA

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $343,000±$19kHighest 11% below VA $283,600±$9kLowest 26% below VA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,315±$78Lowest 17% below VA $1,616±$94Highest about the VA average

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,591Highest 7% below VA $2,036Lowest 27% below VA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 55.4%±5.9Lowest VA: 48.5% 57.2%±8.6Highest VA: 48.5%

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

Below poverty line 21.5%Highest VA: 9.9% 8.4%Lowest VA: 9.9%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 43.6%Lowest VA: 67.3% 51.8%Highest VA: 67.3%

Typical home builtmedian year 1968Lowest 16 yrs older than VA 1982Highest 2 yrs older than VA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 20 minLowest 28% below VA 24 minHighest 12% below VA

Work from home 14%±2.8Lowest VA: 18.3% 15.7%±2.8Highest VA: 18.3%

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

Work in townworking residents 29.1%Highest 3.6%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miHighest 8.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.08Highest 1.44Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Front Royal (1%)Richmond (20%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LaurelFew work in Winchester

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 9.9%Highest 0.1%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 7.8 miHighest 0.3 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.8 miHighest 0.1 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 11Highest 1Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 88.4Lowest 116Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #150 of 219 in VA #181 of 219 in VA

School district Frederick County Public Schools · Winchester City Public SchoolsDepartment of Education State-Operated Educ Prgms · Henrico County Public Schools

High school in town John Handley HighHermitage High

Students per teacherat that high school 21.6Highest 16.7Lowest

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.

Winchester neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Winchester’s Town Square.

Laurel neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Laurel’s Town Square.

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Culpeper20,794 people · $390K 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.

Winchester vs Laurel

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $700 more a month in Winchester

Laurel places higher on 12 of 20 VA lists

What daily life feels like in each

112 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Winchester and Laurel

Towns like Winchester

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