Cost of living in Virginia

Virginia at a glance

Median rent

$1,579

Census ACS, B25064, monthly

Median household income

$93,170

Census ACS, B19013, yearly

Median home value

$383,700

Census ACS, B25077

Median property tax bill

$2,790

Census ACS, B25103, yearly, current owners

Mean commute

27 min

Census ACS, DP03, one way

Unemployment

4.3%

Census ACS, DP03

Virginia's own published state rows, never an average of its counties. Prices overall run 1% above the national average (BEA regional price parity, 2024).

Figures from the 2024 release of the Census American Community Survey, checked September 2026. Health, hazard and price-level readings name their own release beside them.

The three most populous counties in Virginia

These are the most populous places in Virginia, not a match to you. Set what matters to you on Find your fit and this becomes your three closest matches here. Made-up answers work too. This is a tool, not a survey.

• Fairfax County

  Population

  1.15M

  Rent

  $2,276

  Household income

  $153,637

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $7,368

  Set as targetPlan

• Prince William County

  Population

  489K

  Rent

  $2,067

  Household income

  $131,402

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $4,999

  Set as targetPlan

• Virginia Beach city

  Population

  456K

  Rent

  $1,714

  Household income

  $92,968

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $3,061

  Set as targetPlan

Virginia, worth the trip

Ratified the Constitution on June 25, 1788, as the tenth state. The Virginia Company of London established a colony at Jamestown in 1607. The British surrender at Yorktown in 1781 led to the recognition of American independence.

• Shenandoah National Park

  Waterfalls, mountain views, wildflower fields and wooded hollows, 75 miles from Washington, DC.

• Colonial National Historical Park

  Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America, together with the Yorktown battlefield of 1781.

• Appomattox Court House National Historical Park

  The village and the McLean House, where the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered on April 9, 1865.

History: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Each place links to the page of the agency that looks after it.

Property tax in Virginia

Current owners in Virginia pay a median 0.73% of home value a year in property tax. Example: $2,790 a year, the median bill. By county, the median bill runs from $413 in Buchanan County to $8,153 in Arlington County. These are bills that current owners pay, as the Census measures them. Each county's own figure is in the table below.

Health in Virginia

Life expectancy

77.6 yrs

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS vital statistics

No health insurance

7.5%

County Health Rankings, from Census SAHIE, people under 65

Poor or fair health

16.2%

County Health Rankings, from CDC BRFSS. Modeled, not counted

Injury deaths per 100K people

75

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS, counted deaths

Each is the figure County Health Rankings publishes for Virginia as a whole, never an average of its counties. Each county's own health readings are on its page.

Natural hazards in Virginia

Expected yearly loss, statewide

$2.0B

All natural hazards, an average year. Larger states lose more

Building loss rate

$1.02

Per $1,000 of building value, each year. Fair to compare between states

Costliest hazard

Inland flooding

$1.1B of the expected yearly loss, the largest share of any hazard FEMA assesses

Air quality

—

The EPA publishes air quality by county and metro area, never by state. It is on each county's page

FEMA publishes a risk score for counties and none for states, so none is shown here. Each county's score is on its own page.

Side by side

Fairfax County, VA is the largest county here. Set it beside another place, reading by reading.

All 133 counties in Virginia

Each has its published readings on its own page. Press a column to sort by it. Pick one, or open the map to see them shaded side by side.

Household income, home value and population are on each county's own page, and in this table on a wider screen.

Where these numbers come from

Each reading is the published figure, not an estimate. A dash means the source did not publish one, or published one too uncertain to print.

• State figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 20245-year estimates, the state's own row (tables B25064, B19013, B25077, B25103, B01003, DP03).
• County figures: the same survey, each county's own row, as on every county page.
• Price level: Bureau of Economic Analysis, regional price parities, 2024, all items, state-level.
• Health: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the state's own row. Poor or fair health is a modeled estimate from CDC survey data. The other three are counted or calculated.
• Natural hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025, state table, expected annual loss. This product uses FEMA data but is not endorsed by FEMA.
• Air quality has no state figure: the EPA publishes it by county and metro area only.
• Photographs: Wikimedia Commons and the county photo feed, each credited to its photographer under its own licence, beneath the picture.