HarristonVA
The town, settled in 1879, counts 1,212 residents.
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 commute 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
43% of Harriston adults have obesity. Two figures for adults here: 16% report frequent physical distress, 17% smoke cigarettes.
| 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
With only 0.1 jobs per working resident, most people in Harriston work out of town
Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Harriston rose by 35, to 42. For most workers, Harriston is a place to come home to: only 1% work in town. The top destinations are Waynesboro (11%), Verona (10%) and Harrisonburg (7%). The median commute is under 15 miles.
| 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
Harriston has four seasons and pleasant summers
The range runs from 25° on a January night to 85° on a July afternoon, with about 22 inches of snow a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Moderate risk in Harriston, with inland flooding at the top
FEMA puts 72% of Harriston’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 6% to hurricanes. The FEMA hazard score for Harriston comes to 59 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Homes in Harriston sell for about $332K
The share of households in Harriston who live in a home they own: 78%. In Harriston, the typical 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.