Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 38,683, settled in 1928. Public schools that outperform most of Virginia.
Where it does best is schools: its schools rank ahead of 97% of Virginia towns. Overall, Mechanicsville earns an A: better than 90% of U.S. towns, and 61st of 249 in Virginia. Incomes are a strength too: the median household earns $99K. The drawback is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $442K, 5.1 years of the Richmond metro’s $87K median household income. It also trails on walkability (C). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 68% of U.S. towns. This Virginia town has 9 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Edmund Ruffin Plantation and Cold Harbor National Cemetery. The biggest place to walk is Richmond National Battlefield Park, 453 acres with 1.1 miles of trail.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · National Register of Historic Places · OpenStreetMap.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Mechanicsville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Where Mechanicsville beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Rural Point Elementary | PK–5 | 627 |
| Laurel Meadow Elementary | PK–5 | 591 |
| Mechanicsville Elementary | PK–5 | 572 |
Census counts: 5,189 in 1970, 39,482 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1801 and 7 maps from 1894 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 places in Mechanicsville on the National Register of Historic Places.
Ordered by what stands out in Mechanicsville.
Mechanicsville has schools in the top 5% of Virginia and trades workers with Richmond and other neighbors.
That grade ranks #4 of the 250 Virginia towns we grade for schools.
Three of its 9 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. Its public schools are run by the Hanover County Public Schools. The 5 public schools in Mechanicsville teach 2,671 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bell Creek MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 903 | A− |
| Mechanicsville HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,245 | A |
| Rural Point ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 627 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
In Mechanicsville, the FEMA risk score is 17 of 100, below both the Virginia town median (22 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100). 54% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by earthquakes at 18%. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Mechanicsville after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2004.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Mechanicsville: 33% of adults sleep under 7 hours, below both Virginia’s towns (36%) and U.S. towns (36%). Against the Virginia average, Mechanicsville comes out ahead on 5 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 1. 15% of Mechanicsville adults binge drink.
| Mechanicsville | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 36% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Mechanicsville | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10% | 13.1% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.6% | 7.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.5% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
In July, afternoons reach 89°; in January, nights fall to 28°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Mechanicsville has about as many jobs (20,393) as working residents, but only 2,178 people both live and work here.
Mechanicsville’s typical journey to work stands at 24 minutes. Commuting out is the norm here: 11% of working residents work locally. Employers in Mechanicsville added 4,560 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 20,393. For residents locally, the share who live below the poverty line is 5.2%.
| Mechanicsville | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 18% | 17% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.2% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Mechanicsville, 36% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. By age, Mechanicsville looks like Virginia: each broad group is within 4 points. For Mechanicsville, the median age is 41.8 years.
| Mechanicsville | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 16% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 44% | 29% |
| Median age | 41.8 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 22% | 23% | 22% |
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.1 points). Across Virginia, 50.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 44.3, men 39.5.
| Mechanicsville | VA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.4% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.4% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.8% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.1% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.8% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.7% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.9% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.9% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.7% | 8.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.7% | 23.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.2% | 17.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.6% | 7.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.7% | 23.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.1% | 18.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Trails total 4.5 miles in 4 parks and preserves. For Mechanicsville, the density of trails is 0.2 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves locally: 4, covering 498 acres.
| Mechanicsville | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.9% | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Richmond National Battlefield Park | 1.1 mi | 453 |
| 2. Mechanicsville Little League | 0.1 mi | 28 |
| 3. Hanover Ruritan Park | — | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical home value in Mechanicsville is about $442,000, up 3% in a year, 7% above the Virginia typical home. Its typical rent is $1,724 a month. On the market locally: a median 15 days to sell.
| Mechanicsville | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,724 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mechanicsville. Close and well known come first.
15 mi Theme parkKings Dominion
9 mi LandmarkHollywood Cemetery
8 mi LandmarkRobert E. Lee Monument
7 mi MuseumWhite House of the Confederacy
7 mi Stadium & arenaRichmond Coliseum
8 mi MuseumVirginia Museum of Fine Arts411K visitors a yearKings Dominion: Erechtheus, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hollywood Cemetery: Andrew Bain, Public domain · Robert E. Lee Monument: Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · White House of the Confederacy: AlbertHerring, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Richmond Coliseum: Mentes at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Virginia Museum of Fine Arts: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mechanicsville is unincorporated, so Hanover 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.
10 within 15 miles of the center of Mechanicsville
About 4 of every 100 Mechanicsville residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
12 notable people were born in Mechanicsville.
Census-designated place in Virginia, United States
Mechanicsville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hanover County, Virginia, United States. The population was 39,482 during the 2020 census, up from 36,348 in the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Mechanicsville.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanicsville | #61 | A | C | — | A+ | B+ |
| East Highland Park | #192 | C+ | B− | — | C+ | C |
| Chamberlayne | #147 | B | B | — | C+ | B+ |
Mechanicsville, East Highland Park and Chamberlayne report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Mechanicsville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Mechanicsville grades A overall, better than 90% of U.S. towns and #61 of 249 in Virginia. It grades B+ for health and A+ for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
12 notable people were born here, including Jason Mraz and Kevin Grubb.
Ask a question, answer one, post a photo or an event. Free, and the parts only a neighbor would know are the parts worth reading.
.JPG){kind=link}
