Wise ranks #7 in Virginia for graduation rate
Wise is ranked on 32 lists against the 255 Virginia towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 6.
More snow than 100% of Virginia
Not better or worse, just Wise’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Wise does best on
Each list ranks every VA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Wise marked.
Wise lands in the top half on 9 of 19 lists
Each dot is Wise’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in VA, the right end is last. Areas where Wise does best come first.
2 spots from the top 10 for affordability
Lists where Wise sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Every VA list, and where Wise 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
#12
Cheapest rent#1 Clifton Forge · $592/mo
#20
Lowest property tax#1 Covington · $681/yr
#16
Rent easiest to afford#1 Franconia · 28.6%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Quantico Base · 11.5 min
#37 Safety
Safest#1 Broadway · 5.7
#34 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Groveton · 53.8%
U
Most trails#1 University of Virginia · 10.3 mi / sq mi
O
Most walkable#1 One Loudoun · 214 / sq mi
#115 
Health
Healthiest#1 Tysons · 100 / 100
#213
N
Lowest obesity#1 Navy · 20%
#210
Fewest smokers#1 Great Falls · 5%
#205
Most active#1 Wyndham · 14%
#191
Fewest uninsured#1 Great Falls · 4%
#129
Lowest depression#1 Loudoun Valley Estates · 15%
#243
Closest to a top hospital#1 Charlottesville · 0.0 mi
#182 People
N Most educated#1 Navy · 87.8% #200 U Youngest#1 University of Virginia · 19.6 #80 N Oldest#1 North Shore · 62.6 #179 N Most residents 65+#1 North Shore · 44.9% #99 F Most kids#1 Fort Belvoir · 47.5% #167
Climate
Snowiest#1 Norton · 47 in
#1
Least snow#1 Emporia · 1.4 in
#254
Mildest winters#1 Norfolk · 33.2°
#213
Hottest summers#1 Colonial Heights · 89.7°
#225
Coolest summers#1 Wise · 79.9°
#1
Longest growing season#1 Norfolk · 252 days
#239
Wettest#1 Big Stone Gap · 52 in
#3 
The number on the right is Wise’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.