Arcola makes Virginia’s top 10 on 3 lists
Arcola is ranked on 29 lists against the 255 Virginia towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 3 and the top quarter on 8.
More kids than 99% of Virginia
Not better or worse, just Arcola’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Arcola does best on
Each list ranks every VA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Arcola marked.
1 spot from the top 3 for low depression
Lists where Arcola sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Arcola lands in the top half on 12 of 17 lists
Each dot is Arcola’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in VA, the right end is last. Areas where Arcola does best come first.
Arcola out-ranks 0 of its 1 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Every VA list, and where Arcola lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Health
Healthiest#1 Tysons · 100 / 100
#18
N
Lowest obesity#1 Navy · 20%
#54
Fewest smokers#1 Great Falls · 5%
#36
Most active#1 Wyndham · 14%
#24
Fewest uninsured#1 Great Falls · 4%
#34
Lowest depression#1 Loudoun Valley Estates · 15%
#4
Closest to a top hospital#1 Charlottesville · 0.0 mi
#6 People
N Most educated#1 Navy · 87.8% #78 U Youngest#1 University of Virginia · 19.6 #16 N Oldest#1 North Shore · 62.6 #240 N Most residents 65+#1 North Shore · 44.9% #251 F Most kids#1 Fort Belvoir · 47.5% #3Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Quantico Base · 11.5 min
#102 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Groveton · 53.8%
#219
U
Most trails#1 University of Virginia · 10.3 mi / sq mi
#152
O
Most walkable#1 One Loudoun · 214 / sq mi
#100 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Covington · 0.9 yrs
#185
Cheapest rent#1 Clifton Forge · $592/mo
#222
Lowest property tax#1 Covington · $681/yr
#173
Rent easiest to afford#1 Franconia · 28.6%
Climate
Snowiest#1 Norton · 47 in
#23
Least snow#1 Emporia · 1.4 in
#184
Mildest winters#1 Norfolk · 33.2°
#171
Hottest summers#1 Colonial Heights · 89.7°
#126
Coolest summers#1 Wise · 79.9°
#105
Longest growing season#1 Norfolk · 252 days
#175
Wettest#1 Big Stone Gap · 52 in
#175 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Chincoteague · 54%
#241
Most new homes#1 Falls Church · 12.8 per 1,000
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Crewe · +71.5%
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Manassas Park · 61.4 per home
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Bristol · 11.5 per resident
Most library borrowing#1 Falls Church · 30.8 per resident
Best libraries for kids#1 Falls Church · 49.3 per child
Safety
Safest#1 Broadway · 5.7
The number on the right is Arcola’s spot. All of Virginia’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every VA list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.




