Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Broadway grades B− overall, ranked 179th of 249 in Virginia, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It reports less crime per resident than 89% of U.S. towns. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 67% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Broadway has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Tunker House and Linville Creek Bridge. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 80% of U.S. towns. Only 3 of the 86 Virginia towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Broadway.
Where Broadway beats most towns.
3,691 counted in 2010 and 4,170 in 2020; an estimated 4,463 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 6.8% since 2020, after 13% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Broadway is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 323 in 1880, 4,170 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2011 and 4 maps from 1947 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Broadway, 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 Broadway.
Broadway sees little violent crime, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Virginia (mostly inland flooding).
Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
Broadway’s property crime rate is 3.4 per 1,000 residents, against 14.6 in Virginia’s towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Rockingham County Public Schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Broadway High, with 932 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| J. Frank Hillyard MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 726 | C+ |
| Broadway HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 932 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Broadway for work: only 6% work in town. Broadway’s median household income is $65,000, below both the Virginia town median ($102,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). 13% of residents live below the poverty line in Broadway.
| Broadway | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $65,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Broadway beats the Virginia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 16% of Broadway adults report frequent physical distress.
| Broadway | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Broadway | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.7% | 6.2% |
| More smokers | 16.7% | 12.2% |
| More uninsured adults | 11.2% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1.2 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves.
| Broadway | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.5% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Broadway home is worth about $323,000, up 2.8% in a year, 22% below the Virginia typical home. The median rent in Broadway is $1,095 a month.
| Broadway | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,095 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 64% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Broadway has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 23° and about 19 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 95% of Virginia towns; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1996, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Broadway.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Broadway. Close and well known come first.
13 mi National ParkShenandoah National Park1.7M visitors a year
40 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
18 mi CaveLuray Caverns19 mi Scenic driveSkyline Drive
13 mi National forestGeorge Washington and Jefferson National Forests
38 mi MountainSpruce MountainShenandoah National Park: Image copyright 2005 by user G. Edward Johnson (user Lorax) and released under t, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Luray Caverns: Paulo Ordoveza from Washington, DC, CC BY 2.0 · Skyline Drive: Image copyright 2005 by user G. Edward Johnson (user Lorax) and released under t, CC BY-SA 3.0 · George Washington and Jefferson National Forests: Aneta Kaluzna, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Spruce Mountain: Valerius Tygart, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Broadway
About 3 of every 100 Broadway residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
Where Broadway’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Broadway on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Virginia, United States
Broadway is a town in Rockingham County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Broadway had a population of 4,170. It is included in the Harrisonburg metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Broadway grades B− overall, better than 47% of U.S. towns and #179 of 249 in Virginia. It grades C for health, A for safety and B− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.3 years of the area's median household income ($75,065 across the Harrisonburg, 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.
2 notable people were born here, including Jacob K. Shafer and Joe T. May.
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