Gainesville ranks #9 in Virginia for growth
Gainesville is ranked on 33 lists against the 255 Virginia towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 5.
The lists Gainesville does best on
Each list ranks every VA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Gainesville marked.
Gainesville lands in the top half on 15 of 20 lists
Each dot is Gainesville’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in VA, the right end is last. Areas where Gainesville does best come first.
Fewer seniors than 86% of Virginia
Not better or worse, just Gainesville’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Gainesville out-ranks every neighbor it can be compared with
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.
Where Gainesville lands in every VA ranking
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
#76
N
Lowest obesity#1 Navy · 20%
#95
Fewest smokers#1 Great Falls · 5%
#85
Most active#1 Wyndham · 14%
#79
Fewest uninsured#1 Great Falls · 4%
#67
Lowest depression#1 Loudoun Valley Estates · 15%
#92
Closest to a top hospital#1 Charlottesville · 0.0 mi
#32 
People
N Most educated#1 Navy · 87.8% #84 U Youngest#1 University of Virginia · 19.6 #94 N Oldest#1 North Shore · 62.6 #159 N Most residents 65+#1 North Shore · 44.9% #219 F Most kids#1 Fort Belvoir · 47.5% #38Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Groveton · 53.8%
#104
U
Most trails#1 University of Virginia · 10.3 mi / sq mi
#51
O
Most walkable#1 One Loudoun · 214 / sq mi
#158 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Covington · 0.9 yrs
#209
Cheapest rent#1 Clifton Forge · $592/mo
#188
Lowest property tax#1 Covington · $681/yr
#203
Rent easiest to afford#1 Franconia · 28.6%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Quantico Base · 11.5 min
#224 Climate
Snowiest#1 Norton · 47 in
#73
Least snow#1 Emporia · 1.4 in
#181
Mildest winters#1 Norfolk · 33.2°
#167
Hottest summers#1 Colonial Heights · 89.7°
#130
Coolest summers#1 Wise · 79.9°
#95
Longest growing season#1 Norfolk · 252 days
#141
Wettest#1 Big Stone Gap · 52 in
#173 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Chincoteague · 54%
#109
Most new homes#1 Falls Church · 12.8 per 1,000
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Crewe · +71.5%
#34
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 Gainesville’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.