St. Luke's Church · National Register of Historic Places
Benns Church’s story
132 years in pictures
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1894Benns Church is settled
Benns ChurchVA
Public schools that outperform most of Virginia. Settled in 1894, this town now has 1,813 residents.
1 bordering townMap →
St. Luke's Church · Photo: Kallicrates at English Wikipedia · Public domain
Population
1,813
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$339K
Census ACS
Household income
$56K
median
Median age
33.1
years
Jobs based here
149
A commuter town
Is Benns Church a good place to live?
Benns Church’s best subject grade is an A− for schools; its weakest is a C for cost of living. Only 9 of the 254 Virginia towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Benns Church. Benns Church is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 72% of U.S. towns. Among 254 Virginia towns, just 10 have a higher January low than Benns Church. On the outdoors, just 18 of Virginia’s 372 towns do worse. St. Luke's Church and Phillips Farm is on the National Register of Historic Places. Benns Church has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Benns Church stand out
Where Benns Church beats most towns.
Isle of Wight County Public Schools
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Smithfield Middle | 7–8 | 565 |
| Smithfield High | 9–12 | 1,322 |
SchoolsA−
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
Natural hazardsA−
Low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
WalkabilityB+
More walkable than 72% of U.S. towns
5.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
By the sea
Benns Church lives by the ocean
Coastal flooding makes up 17% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
17%of expected storm damage is coastal flooding
99thpercentile for coastal flood risk nationally
85thpercentile for hurricane risk
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
How Benns Church grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Benns Church is from typical.
SchoolsIn the top fifth of the towns comparedA−Open →Hazard riskInland flooding tops the listA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.1 of 20; 5.6% of households have no carB+Open →Cost of livingTypical home $339K, 4.1 years of the Virginia Beach metro’s $82K median household incomeCOpen →HealthBon Secours Harbour View Medical Center 9.2 miles awayC+Open →Jobs & income$56K median household incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 52 attractions →Busch Gardens Williamsburg and 44 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Benns Church. Close and well known come first.
21 mi Theme parkBusch Gardens Williamsburg
24 mi MuseumColonial Williamsburg
16 mi National MonumentFort Monroe National Monument
18 mi MuseumMacArthur Memorial
23 mi MuseumJamestown Settlement
33 mi Ancient siteWerowocomocoSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Busch Gardens Williamsburg: Cjh1452000, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Colonial Williamsburg: Humberto Moreno, CC BY 2.0 · Fort Monroe National Monument: Unknown, Public domain · MacArthur Memorial: Unknown, Public domain · Jamestown Settlement: Warfieldian, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Werowocomoco: engraved by William Hole, Public domain
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Getting set up
Moving to Benns Church: who provides what
Benns Church is unincorporated, so Isle of Wight County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerDominion Energy15.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterOaks Mobile Estates water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesIsle of Wight CountyIsle of Wight County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Virginia you can register online until 11 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 11 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereIsle of Wight General RegistrarIsle of Wight County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP codes23430, 2331423430 86% · 23314 14%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Benns Church.
SchoolsA−
On state tests, Benns Church’s schools beat 80% of Virginia districts
The largest public high school is Smithfield High, with 1,322 students. Its two schools are below. Public school enrollment in Benns Church: 1,887 students across 2 schools.
80%of VA districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smithfield MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 565 | B |
| Smithfield HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,322 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Benns Church’s workers commute out
Since 2013, Benns Church has added 86 jobs, to 149 in 2023. Benns Church’s average trip to work is 24 minutes, below both Virginia’s towns (27 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). 5% of Benns Church residents live below the poverty line. The median commute is under 14 miles.
0%work in town
| Benns Church | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 5% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Benns Church0%
Newport News25%
Smithfield11%
Hampton9%
Suffolk8%
14 mi
median commute distance
149
jobs based in Benns Church
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Benns Church has four seasons and hot summers
Benns Church’s peak summer temperature comes in at 89°F.
6″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter33–52°
Spring48–70°
Summer68–87°
Fall51–72°
Nov 9
typical first frost
Apr 1
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
Residents of Benns Church are less healthy than 63% of U.S. towns
18% of adults report frequent mental distress in Benns Church. The town beats the Virginia average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. In Benns Church, just over two in five adults sleep under 7 hours, where Virginia’s towns sit at 36% and U.S. towns at 36%. Two figures for adults here: 40% have obesity, 14% have diabetes.
37%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Benns Church | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 36% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 34% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Virginia
1 better23 too close to call8 worse
| What stands out | Benns Church | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6% | 7.7% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 10.3% | 7.1% |
Bon Secours Harbour View Medical Center
9.2 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Top of a low hazard risk in Benns Church: inland flooding
Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 61% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in Benns Church, 39% come from inland flooding and 23% from hurricanes.
39risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesCoastal flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HousingCost of living grade C
Homes in Benns Church sell for about $385K
Homes sold in Benns Church spent a median 31 days on the market. The share of households in Benns Church who live in a home they own: 93%. Sellers in Benns Church got 98.4% of the asking price, typically.
$385Kmedian sale price
Market temperature
31
days on market
98.4%
sale-to-list price
5
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Benns Church
16pages on Benns Church
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Benns Church
Riverside College of Health CareersCommunity college · Private nonprofit · Newport News9.8 mi$17,250 tuitionChristopher Newport UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Newport News10 mi$16,828 in-state tuitionVirginia Peninsula Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Hampton12.6 mi$5,088 in-state tuition
About 5 of every 100 Benns Church residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Benns Church for work
Where Benns Church’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
149jobs based in Benns Church
0%of working residents work in town
14 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Benns Church
Census-designated place in Virginia, United States
Benns Church is a census-designated place (CDP) in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, United States. It is located at the junction of U.S. Route 258 and State Routes 10 and 32, southeast of Smithfield. As of the 2020 census, Benns Church had a population of 1,453. The community is named for Benn's United Methodist Church, which lies at the intersection of Benn's Church Boulevard and Brewer's Neck Boulevard (US-258 with State Routes 10 and 32). The church was founded at that location by George Benn in 1789. Benn is buried in front of the church. The church bears a Virginia Historical Marker. Benns Church is home to Benn's Grant, a 253-acre (102 ha) mixed-use development, which took almost a dec…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 43 ft
Benns Church’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Benns Church.
SmithfieldBenns Church
How the neighbors grade
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benns Church | — | — | C | — | A− | C+ |
| Smithfield | #129 | B+ | C | B− | A− | B |
Benns Church has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Benns Church reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Benns Church with a neighbor →
Questions about Benns Church
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Benns Church, VA a good place to live?
Public schools that outperform most of Virginia.
Is Benns Church, VA expensive?
The typical home is worth about $339,000, 18% below the Virginia typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.