Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town was settled in 1895 and has 1,325 residents today.
Brightwood’s best subject grade is an A− for cost of living; its weakest is a C− for schools. On cost of living, just 30 of Virginia’s 370 towns do better. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 73% of U.S. towns. Only 9 of the 254 Virginia towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Brightwood. No town in Virginia scores lower than Brightwood on the outdoors. Brightwood has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Brightwood beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Brightwood is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2016 and 2 maps from 1961 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Brightwood. Close and well known come first.
9 mi National ParkShenandoah National Park1.7M visitors a year18 mi Scenic driveSkyline Drive
24 mi CaveLuray Caverns
32 mi Stadium & arenaScott Stadium
31 mi Stadium & arenaJohn Paul Jones Arena
24 mi National Military ParkFredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park766K visitors a yearShenandoah National Park: Image copyright 2005 by user G. Edward Johnson (user Lorax) and released under t, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Skyline Drive: Image copyright 2005 by user G. Edward Johnson (user Lorax) and released under t, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Luray Caverns: Paulo Ordoveza from Washington, DC, CC BY 2.0 · Scott Stadium: Mak7912, CC BY-SA 3.0 · John Paul Jones Arena: Bob Mical, CC BY 2.0 · Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park: RebelAt at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Brightwood is unincorporated, so Madison 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 Brightwood.
The top destinations are Culpeper (11%), Orange (5%) and Charlottesville (5%). Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Brightwood dropped by 20, to 25. The town’s mean commuting time stands at 33 minutes, above both Virginia’s towns (27 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Half commute less than 29 miles.
| Brightwood | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expect chilly winters and warm summers in Brightwood. Summer afternoons peak near 88° in July, and January nights bottom out around 25°; snowfall runs to about 16 inches a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among adults in Brightwood, 15% smoke cigarettes. Against the Virginia average, Brightwood comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 8. In Brightwood, 39% of adults have high blood pressure, where Virginia’s towns sit at 33% and U.S. towns at 35%. Two figures for adults in the town: 15% report frequent physical distress, 14% have diabetes.
| Brightwood | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Brightwood | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.2% | 76.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.9% | 6.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA puts 52% of Brightwood’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 16% to hurricanes. Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 56% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Brightwood’s going rate for rent is $958 a month. Home values are up 4.4% over the year to September 2026. For households here, the share who live in a home they own is 95%.
| Brightwood | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 95% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $958 a month | $1,762 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Brightwood; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Brightwood residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
Where Brightwood’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in Virginia, US
Brightwood is a census-designated place (CDP) in Madison County, Virginia, United States. Its ZIP Code is 22715. The population as of the 2020 Census was 1,064.
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−.
_(2).jpg){kind=link}
