Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Amherst’s subject grades are an A− for cost of living and history; the weakest is a C for health. Only 6 of the 253 Virginia towns we compare have a lower median rent than Amherst. On the outdoors, just 11 of Virginia’s 372 towns do worse. Amherst has 7 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Sweet Briar House and Winton. Amherst has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Amherst beats most towns.
Sweet Briar College Historic District
Census counts: 590 in 1890, 2,110 in 2020. The archive holds 4 maps from 1939 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Amherst is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Amherst, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Amherst.
Most working residents leave Amherst for work: only 15% work in town. Amherst’s average trip to work is 20 minutes, where Virginia’s towns sit at 27 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Since 2013, Amherst has lost 739 jobs, to 2,014 in 2023.
| Amherst | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 4.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $71,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Amherst County Public Schools. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Amherst County High, with 1,240 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 307 | B |
| Amherst County HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,240 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
The typical Amherst home is worth about $294,000, up 3.7% in a year, 29% below the Virginia typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Amherst beats the Virginia average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 44% of Amherst adults have high blood pressure, above both the Virginia town median (33%) and the median of U.S. towns (35%). 16% of Amherst adults have diabetes.
| Amherst | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 33% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 11% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Amherst | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.6% | 76.8% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 5% | 3.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 72% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 30 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Amherst.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Amherst has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 27° and about 12 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Amherst’s violent crime rate is 0.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Amherst | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8 per 1,000 residents | 14.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Amherst. Close and well known come first.
15 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
33 mi National ParkShenandoah National Park1.7M visitors a year
19 mi National Historical ParkAppomattox Court House National Historical Park77K visitors a year
32 mi LandmarkNational D-Day Memorial
39 mi LandmarkRed Hill Patrick Henry National Memorial
38 mi MuseumFrontier Culture Museum of VirginiaBlue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Shenandoah National Park: Image copyright 2005 by user G. Edward Johnson (user Lorax) and released under t, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Appomattox Court House National Historical Park: Doug Coldwell, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National D-Day Memorial: RebelAt at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Red Hill Patrick Henry National Memorial: Jamestown Official Photo Corp., Public domain · Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia: Woody Hibbard from Texas, USA, CC BY 2.0
5 within 15 miles of the center of Amherst
About 3 of every 100 Amherst residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
Where Amherst’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 places in Amherst on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Amherst.
Town in Virginia, United States
Amherst (formerly Dearborn) is a town in Amherst County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Amherst had a population of 2,110. It is the county seat of Amherst County. Amherst is part of the Lynchburg metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
8 notable people were born here, including Jimmy Walker and Lewis Franklin Payne, Jr..
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