How Smithfield compares across Virginia
Smithfield is ranked on 34 lists against the 255 Virginia towns with 2,500+ residents.
Less snow than 98% of Virginia
Not better or worse, just Smithfield’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Smithfield lands in the top half on 9 of 21 lists
Each dot is Smithfield’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in VA, the right end is last. Areas where Smithfield does best come first.
2 spots from the top 25 for safety
Lists where Smithfield sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
The lists Smithfield does best on
Each list ranks every VA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Smithfield marked.
Every VA list, and where Smithfield lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Safety
Safest#1 Broadway · 5.7
#27 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Covington · 0.9 yrs
#111
Cheapest rent#1 Clifton Forge · $592/mo
#72
Lowest property tax#1 Covington · $681/yr
#122
Rent easiest to afford#1 Franconia · 28.6%
Health
Healthiest#1 Tysons · 100 / 100
#149
N
Lowest obesity#1 Navy · 20%
#152
Fewest smokers#1 Great Falls · 5%
#142
Most active#1 Wyndham · 14%
#139
Fewest uninsured#1 Great Falls · 4%
#67
Lowest depression#1 Loudoun Valley Estates · 15%
#122
Closest to a top hospital#1 Charlottesville · 0.0 mi
#190 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Groveton · 53.8%
#144
U
Most trails#1 University of Virginia · 10.3 mi / sq mi
#91
O
Most walkable#1 One Loudoun · 214 / sq mi
#210 
People
N Most educated#1 Navy · 87.8% #145 U Youngest#1 University of Virginia · 19.6 #238 N Oldest#1 North Shore · 62.6 #16 N Most residents 65+#1 North Shore · 44.9% #77 F Most kids#1 Fort Belvoir · 47.5% #213Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Quantico Base · 11.5 min
#154 Climate
Snowiest#1 Norton · 47 in
#249
Least snow#1 Emporia · 1.4 in
#2
Mildest winters#1 Norfolk · 33.2°
#8
Hottest summers#1 Colonial Heights · 89.7°
#32
Coolest summers#1 Wise · 79.9°
#192
Longest growing season#1 Norfolk · 252 days
#34
Wettest#1 Big Stone Gap · 52 in
#8 
The number on the right is Smithfield’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.