Laurel ranks #31 in Virginia for walkable streets
Laurel is ranked on 33 lists against the 255 Virginia towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 2.
The lists Laurel does best on
Each list ranks every VA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Laurel marked.
Laurel lands in the top half on 9 of 20 lists
Each dot is Laurel’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in VA, the right end is last. Areas where Laurel does best come first.
Faster-rising prices than 91% of Virginia
Not better or worse, just Laurel’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Laurel out-ranks 0 of its 3 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 Laurel lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Covington · 0.9 yrs
#75
Cheapest rent#1 Clifton Forge · $592/mo
#116
Lowest property tax#1 Covington · $681/yr
#84
Rent easiest to afford#1 Franconia · 28.6%
#81 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Quantico Base · 11.5 min
#85 Health
Healthiest#1 Tysons · 100 / 100
#153
N
Lowest obesity#1 Navy · 20%
#126
Fewest smokers#1 Great Falls · 5%
#166
Most active#1 Wyndham · 14%
#139
Fewest uninsured#1 Great Falls · 4%
#189
Lowest depression#1 Loudoun Valley Estates · 15%
#122
Closest to a top hospital#1 Charlottesville · 0.0 mi
#54 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Groveton · 53.8%
#236
U
Most trails#1 University of Virginia · 10.3 mi / sq mi
O
Most walkable#1 One Loudoun · 214 / sq mi
#31 People
N Most educated#1 Navy · 87.8% #177 U Youngest#1 University of Virginia · 19.6 #50 N Oldest#1 North Shore · 62.6 #208 N Most residents 65+#1 North Shore · 44.9% #193 F Most kids#1 Fort Belvoir · 47.5% #175
Climate
Snowiest#1 Norton · 47 in
#106
Least snow#1 Emporia · 1.4 in
#141
Mildest winters#1 Norfolk · 33.2°
#57
Hottest summers#1 Colonial Heights · 89.7°
#41
Coolest summers#1 Wise · 79.9°
#183
Longest growing season#1 Norfolk · 252 days
#96
Wettest#1 Big Stone Gap · 52 in
#52 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Chincoteague · 54%
#151
Most new homes#1 Falls Church · 12.8 per 1,000
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Crewe · +71.5%
#21
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 Laurel’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.