Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 16,904.
Bon Air grades B+ overall, ranked 121st of 249 in Virginia, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $102K and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 81% of the country. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $365K, 4.2 years of the Richmond metro’s $87K median household income. 55% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Bon Air, where Virginia’s towns sit at 44% and U.S. towns at 29%. Bon Air Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Bon Air beats most towns.
16,366 counted in 2010 and 18,022 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Bon Air is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 10,771 in 1970, 18,022 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1882 and 6 maps from 1936 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bon Air. Close and well known come first.
6 mi LandmarkHollywood Cemetery
23 mi Theme parkKings Dominion
7 mi LandmarkRobert E. Lee Monument
8 mi MuseumWhite House of the Confederacy
8 mi Stadium & arenaRichmond Coliseum
6 mi MuseumVirginia Museum of Fine Arts411K visitors a yearHollywood Cemetery: Andrew Bain, Public domain · Kings Dominion: Erechtheus, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Robert E. Lee Monument: Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · White House of the Confederacy: AlbertHerring, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Richmond Coliseum: Mentes at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Virginia Museum of Fine Arts: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, CC BY-SA 4.0
Bon Air 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 Bon Air.
32% of Bon Air adults sleep under 7 hours. Bon Air beats the Virginia average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 31% of Bon Air adults feel lonely.
| Bon Air | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 36% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Bon Air | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.2% | 13.1% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.8% | 11.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.3% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Chesterfield County Public Schools. Three of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crestwood ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 635 | C− |
| Yvonne B. Miller High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | – | – |
| Greenfield ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 519 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 82% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bon Air.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Bon Air has chilly winters and warm summers. Bon Air’s July high is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
3.9 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Huguenot Park, at 53 acres with 1.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Bon Air | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Huguenot Park | 1.9 mi | 53 |
| 2. Greenfield Athletic Complex | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Bon Air has about as many jobs (8,939) as working residents, but only 364 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Bon Air for work: only 4% work in town. 20% of workers work from home in Bon Air. The top destinations are Richmond (27%), Innsbrook (3%) and Manchester (2%).
| Bon Air | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 20% | 17% | 11% |
| Median household income | $102,000 | $101,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.7% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.5% | 5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The median rent in Bon Air is $1,799 a month.
| Bon Air | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,799 a month | $1,760 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
10 within 15 miles of the center of Bon Air
About 6 of every 100 Bon Air residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
Census-designated place in Virginia, United States
Bon Air is a census-designated place (CDP) in Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States. The population was 18,022 at the 2020 census. The community is considered a suburb of the independent city of Richmond in the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a part of the Southside neighborhoods. Originally developed as a resort, a central portion of Bon Air has been designated as a National Historic District with many structures of Victorian design from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its name means "good air," reflecting its role as a resort getaway that wealthy Richmonders enjoyed for its fresh air as opposed to the dirty air of Richmond's industrial downtown of the late 19th century.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Bon Air.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bon Air | #121 | B+ | C | — | B | A− |
| Richmond | #236 | D | C− | D | D− | B− |
| Manchester | #193 | C+ | C | — | B | B− |
Bon Air and Manchester report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Bon Air with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Bon Air grades B+ overall, better than 72% of U.S. towns and #121 of 249 in Virginia. It grades A− for health and B for schools.
The typical home is worth about $365,000, 11% 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.
Bon Air has 1 place on the National Register of Historic Places. 2 notable people were born here, including Porter Hardy Jr. and Bob Schweickert.
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