Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,949.
Residents are less healthy than 97% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Overall it grades C, ranked 207th of 249 in Virginia. Natural-hazard risk is low. 22% of residents live below the poverty line in Bensley, above both the Virginia town median (7.7%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Bensley has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Bridge at Falling Creek. Bensley is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 71% of U.S. towns.
Where Bensley beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Bensley | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 22.1% | 8.7% |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Bensley is from typical.
Its grades run from A for hazard risk (better than 92% of comparable towns) to D− for health (better than 3%), so the C overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 5,453 in 2000, 5,971 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2017 and 8 maps from 1894 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bensley. Close and well known come first.
6 mi LandmarkHollywood Cemetery
27 mi Theme parkKings Dominion
7 mi MuseumWhite House of the Confederacy
7 mi LandmarkRobert E. Lee Monument
7 mi Stadium & arenaRichmond Coliseum
7 mi Ancient siteHenricusHollywood Cemetery: Andrew Bain, Public domain · Kings Dominion: Erechtheus, CC BY-SA 3.0 · White House of the Confederacy: AlbertHerring, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Robert E. Lee Monument: Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Richmond Coliseum: Mentes at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Henricus: Morgan Riley, CC BY-SA 3.0
Bensley is unincorporated, so Chesterfield County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Bensley.
Bensley has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it has poverty well above the Virginia rate.
31% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Bensley. Among 253 Virginia towns, just 9 have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Bensley. 21% of adults report frequent mental distress in Bensley.
| Bensley | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 17% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 11% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 23% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Bensley | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.6% | 7.7% |
| More uninsured adults | 22.1% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 88% of U.S. communities. Since 1991, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bensley.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 3 years of the Richmond metro’s $87K median household income, the typical home (about $257K) costs less against local pay than in 91% of Virginia towns; that ratio is one input to its B− for cost of living. Home values rose 41% in five years, to about $257K, against 23% across Virginia.
The typical Bensley home is worth about $257,000, up 2.9% in a year, 38% below the Virginia typical home. 39% of Bensley households own their home.
| Bensley | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 39% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,238 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Bensley has mild winters and warm summers. Bensley’s July high is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Bensley for work: only 2% work in town. The median household income in Bensley is $51,000. The top destinations are Richmond (16%), Mechanicsville (3%) and Meadowbrook (2%).
| Bensley | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $51,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.6% | 5% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0.4 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Falling Creek Park, at 44 acres.
| Bensley | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.6% | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Falling Creek Park | — | 44 |
| 2. Falling Creek Linear Park | — | 39 |
| 3. Falling Creek Ironworks | 0.1 mi | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
11 within 15 miles of the center of Bensley
About 7 of every 100 Bensley residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
2 places in Bensley on the National Register of Historic Places.
CDP in Virginia, United States
Bensley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States. It is an inner suburb of Richmond. The population was 5,971 at the 2020 census. Bensley Community building is inside of Bensley park. The community building is outside of Bensley, setting in walking distance of the CDP. The community is an old village with no active government. The community is over 100 years old. A new police substation in the village is next to the old Bensley Bermuda Rescue Squad, near DuPont Spruance.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Bensley.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bensley | #207 | C | B− | — | B | D− |
| Bellwood | #197 | C+ | B | — | B | D− |
| Meadowbrook | #210 | C | C | — | B | C− |
| Richmond | #236 | D | C− | D | D− | B− |
Bensley, Bellwood and Meadowbrook report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Bensley with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bensley grades C overall, better than 28% of U.S. towns and #207 of 249 in Virginia. It grades D− for health and B for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($86,679 across the Richmond, VA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
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