Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Danville grades D− overall, 246th of 249 graded towns in Virginia, mostly because of schools and health. Its schools rank among the lowest in Virginia on tests and graduation. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 95% of the country. It also has a long history, with 27 places on the National Register. 25% of residents live below the poverty line in Danville, above both Virginia’s towns (7.7%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Its National Register listings include Danville National Cemetery and Danville Public Library. Among 253 Virginia towns, just 3 have a higher share of working residents who work in town than Danville.
Where Danville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Danville Public Library
Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| G.L.H. Johnson Elementary | K–5 | 571 |
| Schoolfield Elementary | K–5 | 516 |
| Edwin A. Gibson Elementary | K–5 | 466 |
Census counts: 1,514 in 1850, 42,590 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1863 and 4 maps from 1925 on.
26 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Danville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Danville, 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 Danville.
Danville draws workers from Mount Hermon and beyond, but it has poverty well above the Virginia rate and has a long record of flood insurance claims.
Its public schools are run by the Danville City Public Schools. Three of its 25 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westwood MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 642 | D |
| George Washington HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,248 | C |
| Galileo Magnet HighTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 260 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
The median property tax bill is $774, against $2,790 across Virginia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Danville home is worth about $156,000, about the same as a year ago, 62% below the Virginia typical home. The median rent in Danville is $836 a month.
| Danville | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 48% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $836 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 45% | 47% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
30% of Danville adults say their health is fair or poor. Among 253 Virginia towns, just 6 have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Danville. 19% of Danville adults report frequent mental distress.
| Danville | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 17% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 12% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Danville | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.8% | 14.5% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.2% | 76.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 24.1% | 11.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
64 miles of trail in 25 parks and preserves. Danville’s trail density is 1.5 miles per square mile. Anglers Park, at 456 acres with 19.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Danville | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.5 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.5% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Anglers Park | 19.7 mi | 456 |
| 2. Dan Daniel Memorial Park | 7.8 mi | 182 |
| 3. Ballou Park | 1.7 mi | 99 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
22,992 jobs are based in Danville, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 20.3 minutes, against 27.3 across Virginia.
47% of Danville’s working residents work right in town. 8.8% of workers work from home in Danville. Jobs based in Danville fell to 22,992 in 2023, 2,348 fewer than in 2013.
| Danville | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $44,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 8.8% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 1,429 to 1,237 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
130 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 22 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 130 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Danville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Danville has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 28° and about 8 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
2 within 15 miles of the center of Danville
About 5 of every 100 Danville residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
2 colleges in town.
26 places in Danville on the National Register of Historic Places.
57 notable people were born in Danville.
Independent city in Virginia, United States
Danville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The city is located in the Southside Virginia region and on the fall line of the Dan River. The city was a center of tobacco production and was an area of Confederate activity during the American Civil War, due to its strategic location on the Richmond and Danville Railroad. In April 1865, Danville briefly served as the third and final capital of the Confederacy before its surrender later that year. Danville has maintained a black majority population since the Reconstruction era. During this time, the city was represented politically by black members of the Readjuster Party. However, this changed following…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Danville grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #246 of 249 in Virginia. It grades D− for health, D for safety and D− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D−.
The public schools Danville children attend trail 100% of Virginia districts on state tests and graduation, a D− School Grade.
That is 3.1 years of the area's median household income ($49,874 across the Danville, VA 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−.
57 notable people were born here, including Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor and Tony Rice.
