How Norfolk compares across Virginia
Norfolk is ranked on 39 lists against the 255 Virginia towns with 2,500+ residents.
Milder winters than 100% of Virginia
Not better or worse, just Norfolk’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Norfolk out-ranks 2 of its 4 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.
Norfolk lands in the top half on 8 of 26 lists
Each dot is Norfolk’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in VA, the right end is last. Areas where Norfolk does best come first.
The lists Norfolk does best on
Each list ranks every VA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Norfolk marked.
Where Norfolk 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.
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Quantico Base · 11.5 min
#66 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Chincoteague · 54%
#89
Most new homes#1 Falls Church · 12.8 per 1,000
#16
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Crewe · +71.5%
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Manassas Park · 61.4 per home
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Covington · 0.9 yrs
#80
Cheapest rent#1 Clifton Forge · $592/mo
#91
Lowest property tax#1 Covington · $681/yr
#117
Rent easiest to afford#1 Franconia · 28.6%
#73 Health
Healthiest#1 Tysons · 100 / 100
#193
N
Lowest obesity#1 Navy · 20%
#210
Fewest smokers#1 Great Falls · 5%
#166
Most active#1 Wyndham · 14%
#167
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
#93 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Groveton · 53.8%
#126
U
Most trails#1 University of Virginia · 10.3 mi / sq mi
#190
O
Most walkable#1 One Loudoun · 214 / sq mi
#112 People
N Most educated#1 Navy · 87.8% #158 U Youngest#1 University of Virginia · 19.6 #28 N Oldest#1 North Shore · 62.6 #227 N Most residents 65+#1 North Shore · 44.9% #175 F Most kids#1 Fort Belvoir · 47.5% #190Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Bristol · 11.5 per resident
#17
Most library borrowing#1 Falls Church · 30.8 per resident
#22
Best libraries for kids#1 Falls Church · 49.3 per child
#19 
Safety
Safest#1 Broadway · 5.7
#80 
The number on the right is Norfolk’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.