Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Harrisonburg's standout: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 97% of U.S. towns. Overall it grades C, ranked 201st of 249 in Virginia. Natural-hazard risk is low. Its weakest subject is schools: its schools rank behind 76% of the state's. 26% of residents live below the poverty line in Harrisonburg, where Virginia’s towns sit at 7.7% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Its National Register listings include Thomas Harrison House and Joshua Wilton House. Only 8 of the 253 Virginia towns we compare have a higher share of working residents who work in town than Harrisonburg.
Where Harrisonburg beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,023 in 1860, 51,814 in 2020. The archive holds 22 old photos and papers going back to 1860 and 5 maps from 1941 on.
15 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Harrisonburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Harrisonburg, 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 Harrisonburg.
Harrisonburg is shaped by its college students, draws workers from Massanetta Springs and beyond and fares better on crime within Virginia than nationally.
29 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. The trail density in Harrisonburg is 1.7 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Hillandale Park, 115 acres with 5.9 miles of trail.
| Harrisonburg | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.7 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.5% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hillandale Park | 5.9 mi | 115 |
| 2. University Park | 2.7 mi | 84 |
| 3. Purcell Park | 1.6 mi | 52 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Harrisonburg City Public Schools. Two of its 15 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Harrison MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 771 | C |
| Rocktown HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,011 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
31,498 jobs are based in Harrisonburg, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 17.1 minutes, against 27.3 across Virginia.
About one in 3 of Harrisonburg’s working residents works in town. Harrisonburg’s average trip to work is 17 minutes. The top destinations are Bridgewater (4%), Dayton (3%) and Richmond (2%).
| Harrisonburg | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.1% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
29.6% of residents are enrolled in college, against 6.9% statewide, which pulls the median age down. Only 39.5% of households own their home, against 67.3% across Virginia.
Adults 18 to 34 are 44% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 28% of residents (39% statewide). 11% of residents are 65 or older in Harrisonburg. 37% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 42% across Virginia.
| Harrisonburg | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 25 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 17% | 23% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 11% | 16% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 44% | 29% |
51.4% women, 48.6% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across Virginia, 50.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 24.3, men 26.0.
| Harrisonburg | VA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.4% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.9% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 32.6% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.7% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.3% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.1% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 7.4% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.2% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.4% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 15.7% | 8.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.6% | 23.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 13.5% | 17.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.7% | 7.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.7% | 23.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 18.7% | 18.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 86% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 25 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Harrisonburg.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 26.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 52% of Virginia’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 1,133 to 820 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
January nights average 24°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 84% of Virginia places with climate records; July afternoons average 85.4°.
Harrisonburg has chilly winters and warm summers. About 19 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Harrisonburg | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 85°F | 88°F | 85°F |
| January low | 24°F | 26°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Harrisonburg home is worth about $352,000, up 2.9% in a year, 15% below the Virginia typical home. 40% of Harrisonburg households own their home.
| Harrisonburg | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 40% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,184 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 9,474 U.S. towns with household incomes like Harrisonburg’s, it is healthier than 79%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Harrisonburg beats the Virginia average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. Only 2 of the 253 Virginia towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Harrisonburg.
| Harrisonburg | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 22% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Harrisonburg | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.9% | 7.7% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 18.6% | 26.2% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 12.5% | 7.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Harrisonburg. Close and well known come first.
12 mi National ParkShenandoah National Park1.7M visitors a year
28 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
26 mi CaveLuray Caverns24 mi Scenic driveSkyline Drive
8 mi National forestGeorge Washington and Jefferson National Forests
34 mi Stadium & arenaScott StadiumShenandoah 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 · Scott Stadium: Mak7912, CC BY-SA 3.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Harrisonburg
College town 30 of every 100 Harrisonburg residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
2 colleges in town.
15 places in Harrisonburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
27 notable people were born in Harrisonburg.
Independent city in Virginia, United States
Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It is also the county seat of the surrounding Rockingham County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. At the 2020 census, the population was 51,814. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Harrisonburg with Rockingham County for statistical purposes into the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 126,562 in 2011. Harrisonburg is home to James Madison University (JMU), a public research university with an enrollment of over 20,000 students, and Eastern Mennonite University (EMU), a private, Mennonite-affil…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Harrisonburg grades C overall, better than 33% of U.S. towns and #201 of 249 in Virginia. It grades B for health, C for safety and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.7 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 C+.
27 notable people were born here, including Maggie Stiefvater and Dell Curry.
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