HarristonVA
A town of 1,212, settled in 1879.
Is Harriston a good place to live?
Harriston’s best subject grade is an A for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for walkability. Harriston’s average trip to work is 37 minutes, above both the Virginia town median (27 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). No town in Virginia scores lower than Harriston on walkability. Harriston's public schools beat 70% of Virginia towns on state tests and graduation. Only 9 of Virginia’s 372 towns score lower on the outdoors. Harriston has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
1,212 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Harriston grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Harriston is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Shenandoah National Park and 15 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Harriston. Close and well known come first.
2 mi National ParkShenandoah National Park1.7M visitors a year
12 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
21 mi Stadium & arenaScott Stadium31 mi Scenic driveSkyline Drive
37 mi CaveLuray Caverns
21 mi Stadium & arenaJohn Paul Jones ArenaPhoto credits
Shenandoah 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 · Scott Stadium: Mak7912, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Skyline Drive: Image copyright 2005 by user G. Edward Johnson (user Lorax) and released under t, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Luray Caverns: Paulo Ordoveza from Washington, DC, CC BY 2.0 · John Paul Jones Arena: Bob Mical, CC BY 2.0
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Moving to Harriston: who provides what
Harriston is unincorporated, so Augusta County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Harriston.
Harriston is less healthy than 82% of U.S. towns
Harriston beats the Virginia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 43% of adults have obesity in Harriston, against 34% in Virginia’s towns and 35% across U.S. towns. 16% of adults report frequent physical distress in Harriston.
| Harriston | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 12% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Harriston | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.9% | 6.2% |
| More smokers | 17.3% | 12.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.7% | 11.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most of Harriston’s workers commute out: the town has 0.1 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Harriston for work: only 1% work in town. Since 2013, Harriston has added 35 jobs, to 42 in 2023. The top destinations are Waynesboro (11%), Verona (10%) and Harrisonburg (7%).
| Harriston | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1% | 4.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $93,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Harriston, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Harriston has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 25° and about 22 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Moderate risk in Harriston, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Homes in Harriston sell for about $529K
Harriston’s median rent is $1,051 a month.
| Harriston | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,051 a month | $1,762 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Harriston
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Harriston
About 2 of every 100 Harriston residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
99% of working residents leave Harriston for work
Where Harriston’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Harriston
CDP in Virginia, United States
Harriston is a census-designated place in Augusta County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Harriston had a population of 948.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.6 sq mi
Questions about Harriston
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Harriston, VA expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $184,000, 55% below the Virginia typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.