Richmond ranks #3 in Virginia for new homes
Richmond is ranked on 40 lists against the 255 Virginia towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 5.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every VA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Richmond marked.
Richmond lands in the top half on 11 of 26 lists
Each dot is Richmond’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in VA, the right end is last. Areas where Richmond does best come first.
Hotter summers than 92% of Virginia
Not better or worse, just Richmond’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Richmond out-ranks 4 of its 8 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.
Where Richmond 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.
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Chincoteague · 54%
#95
Most new homes#1 Falls Church · 12.8 per 1,000
#3
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Crewe · +71.5%
#39
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Manassas Park · 61.4 per home
#8 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Groveton · 53.8%
#82
U
Most trails#1 University of Virginia · 10.3 mi / sq mi
#47
O
Most walkable#1 One Loudoun · 214 / sq mi
#35 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Quantico Base · 11.5 min
#53 
Health
Healthiest#1 Tysons · 100 / 100
#174
N
Lowest obesity#1 Navy · 20%
#170
Fewest smokers#1 Great Falls · 5%
#166
Most active#1 Wyndham · 14%
#153
Fewest uninsured#1 Great Falls · 4%
#189
Lowest depression#1 Loudoun Valley Estates · 15%
#150
Closest to a top hospital#1 Charlottesville · 0.0 mi
#47 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Covington · 0.9 yrs
#103
Cheapest rent#1 Clifton Forge · $592/mo
#95
Lowest property tax#1 Covington · $681/yr
#126
Rent easiest to afford#1 Franconia · 28.6%
#67 
People
N Most educated#1 Navy · 87.8% #119 U Youngest#1 University of Virginia · 19.6 #44 N Oldest#1 North Shore · 62.6 #211 N Most residents 65+#1 North Shore · 44.9% #155 F Most kids#1 Fort Belvoir · 47.5% #224Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Bristol · 11.5 per resident
#16
Most library borrowing#1 Falls Church · 30.8 per resident
#15
Best libraries for kids#1 Falls Church · 49.3 per child
#15 
Safety
Safest#1 Broadway · 5.7
#72 
The number on the right is Richmond’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.