Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Emporia earns a D−, ranked 247th of 249 in Virginia, mostly because of health and safety. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 96% of the country. Its crime rate is higher than 95% of U.S. towns, with 49 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. In its favor, it is more walkable than 77% of U.S. towns. Emporia’s violent crime rate is 9.2 per 1,000 residents, above both Virginia’s towns (2.3) and U.S. towns (1.6). Emporia has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Fortsville and Old Merchants and Farmers Bank Building. Only 2 of the 253 Virginia towns we compare have a higher July high than Emporia.
Where Emporia beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Emporia’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Emporia is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,088 in 1890, 5,766 in 2020. The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 1826 and 5 maps from 1919 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Emporia, 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 Emporia.
Emporia has hotter summers than almost anywhere else in Virginia, but it reports violent crime at 4 times the Virginia rate and carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Virginia (mostly inland flooding).
At 3 years of the county’s $52K median household income, the typical home (about $157K) costs less against local pay than in 91% of Virginia towns; that ratio is one input to its C+ for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $1,171, against $2,790 across Virginia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Emporia home is worth about $157,000, up 4.5% in a year, 62% below the Virginia typical home. 38% of households own their home in Emporia.
| Emporia | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 38% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,037 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Greensville County Public Schools. Its one school is below. The largest public high school is Greensville County High, with 584 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greensville County HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 584 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts
30% of Emporia adults say their health is fair or poor. Emporia beats the Virginia average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 22. 18% of Emporia adults report frequent physical distress.
| Emporia | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 17% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 11% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 23% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 36% | 36% |
| What stands out | Emporia | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.6% | 14.5% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.1% | 76.8% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 28.7% | 13.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime runs at 9.2 per 1,000 residents, 4 times the Virginia rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Property crime runs at 29.7 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Virginia rate, most of it theft.
Emporia’s property crime rate is 29.7 per 1,000 residents. Emporia reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 95% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
4,004 jobs are based in Emporia, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 4 of Emporia’s working residents works in town. The median household income in Emporia is $52,000. Jobs based in Emporia grew to 4,004 in 2023, 496 more than in 2013.
| Emporia | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 9.9% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Emporia | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Meherrin River Park Complex | — | 12 |
| 2. Veterans Memorial Park | 0.1 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
July afternoons average 89.6°, the #2 highest of 700 Virginia places with climate records; January nights average 28.8°.
Emporia has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. About 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of Virginia towns, with expected losses of about $486 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1978, 10 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Emporia.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Emporia; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Emporia residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
5 places in Emporia on the National Register of Historic Places.
23 notable people were born in Emporia.
Independent city in Virginia, United States
Emporia is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is the county seat of Greensville County. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,766, making it the third-least populous city in Virginia. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Emporia with surrounding Greensville County for statistical purposes. The town has become notorious for being a major speed trap.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Emporia grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #247 of 249 in Virginia. It grades D− for health and D for safety. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
23 notable people were born here, including John Y. Mason and Bryant Stith.
