Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Covington gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $171K, 4.1 years of the county’s $42K median household income. It grades C− overall, 220th among Virginia's 249 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 94% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and the median household income is $42K, and 26% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it has 6 miles of trail. 26% of residents live below the poverty line in Covington, above both Virginia’s towns (7.7%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 22 of Virginia’s 372 towns score lower on hazard risk. Its National Register listings include Covington Historic District and Fudge House.
Where Covington beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 436 in 1880, a peak of 11,062 in 1960, 5,737 in 2020. The archive holds 20 old photos and papers going back to 1939 and 2 maps from 1945 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Covington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Covington, 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 Covington.
Covington is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Virginia (mostly inland flooding) and has poverty well above the Virginia rate.
Against the 3,001 U.S. towns with household incomes like Covington’s, it is less healthy than 72%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
18% of adults report frequent physical distress in Covington. Covington beats the Virginia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 22. 27% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Covington.
| Covington | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 12% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 12% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 11% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Covington | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 11.4% | 6.2% |
| More smokers | 20.3% | 12.2% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 5.1% | 3.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Alleghany Highlands Public Schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Covington MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 594 | C |
| Rivermont School - Alleghany Highlands PrivateLargest high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 34 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
The median property tax bill is $681, against $2,790 across Virginia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The median rent in Covington is $794 a month. Typical home values rose 4.9% in the year to September 2026.
| Covington | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $794 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
6.5 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Covington’s trail density is 1.2 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Covington City Park & Pool | — | 4 |
| 2. Reservoir Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 98% of Virginia towns, with expected losses of about $824 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1978, 180 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Covington. Only 6 of the 253 Virginia towns we compare have a higher FEMA risk score than Covington.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Covington has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 25° and about 10 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 2,505 working residents takes 17.1 minutes, against 27.3 across Virginia.
About one in 4 of Covington’s working residents works in town. 7.3% of Covington workers work from home. Since 2013, Covington has added 334 jobs, to 3,690 in 2023.
| Covington | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $42,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 7.3% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Within Virginia, it does better than 69% of towns.
| Covington | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.4 per 1,000 residents | 14.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Covington
About 6 of every 100 Covington residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
7 places in Covington on the National Register of Historic Places.
16 notable people were born in Covington.
Independent city in Virginia, United States
Covington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,737, making it the second-least populous city in Virginia. It is surrounded by Alleghany County, of which it is also the county seat. Located at the confluence of Jackson River and Dunlap Creek, Covington is one of three cities (with Roanoke and Salem) in the Roanoke Regional Partnership. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Covington with Alleghany county for statistical purposes.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Covington.
Mallow isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Covington with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Covington grades C− overall, better than 19% of U.S. towns and #220 of 249 in Virginia. It grades D for health, B− for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Within Virginia, it does better than 69% of towns.
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 B+.
16 notable people were born here, including Bimbo Coles and Chapman Revercomb.
