Entering the town of Modest Town, 2018
Modest Town’s story
204 years in pictures
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2018 and 3 maps from 1942 on.
- 1822Modest Town is settled
Modest TownVA
Photo: self · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
265
Census survey, 2020–24
Household income
$103K
median
Median age
41.0
years
Land area
1 sq mi
Settled
1822
204 years ago
Is Modest Town a good place to live?
6.8% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Modest Town, where Virginia’s towns sit at 44% and U.S. towns at 29%. Modest Town has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Modest Town stand out
Where Modest Town beats most towns.
Small town
265 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Modest Town.
Work & commute
For most of its workers, the job is outside Modest Town
0%work in town
Half of commuters travel less than 38 miles. The top destinations are Accomac (5%), Chincoteague (5%) and Washington (4%). Modest Town: 5.7% of residents live below the poverty line.
Where working residents work
In Modest Town0%
Accomac5%
Chincoteague5%
Washington4%
Fruitland4%
38 mi
median commute distance
0
jobs based in Modest Town
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
High risk in Modest Town, with hurricanes at the top
68risk score of 100
FEMA puts nearly two thirds of Modest Town’s expected hazard losses down to hurricanes, and 21% to inland flooding. In Modest Town, the FEMA hazard score is 68 of 100.
FEMA risk score
HurricanesInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers: that is Modest Town’s year
8″snow a winter
Expect July afternoons of 86° and January nights of 31°, with about 8 inches of snow a winter.
Typical low → high °F
Winter32–48°
Spring47–64°
Summer68–84°
Fall53–69°
Nov 11
typical first frost
Mar 31
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Modest Town is
In Modest Town, just over one in ten adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Among adults locally, 18% smoke cigarettes and 15% have diabetes.
| Modest Town | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 33% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 12% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 17% | 19% |
32 measures vs. Virginia
0 better17 too close to call15 worse
| What stands out | Modest Town | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.7% | 11.1% |
| More smokers | 18.1% | 12.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 6.2% |
Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital
11.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Housing
Homes in Modest Town sell for about $170K
$170Kmedian sale price
For households in Modest Town, the share who own their home is 41%.
0
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Modest Town
15pages on Modest Town
The big questions
Out and about
Nearby attractions
All 14 attractions →USS Texas and 6 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Modest Town. Close and well known come first.
29 mi Ancient siteUSS Texas
9 mi National SeashoreAssateague Island National Seashore2.3M visitors a year
6 mi MuseumEastern Shore Railway Museum
10 mi MuseumNASA Visitor Center38 mi Zoo & aquariumSalisbury Zoo
37 mi GardenSalisbury University ArboretumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
USS Texas: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Assateague Island National Seashore: Fritz Geller-Grimm, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Eastern Shore Railway Museum: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0 · NASA Visitor Center: Leonard J. DeFrancisci, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Salisbury University Arboretum: Leonard J. DeFrancisci, CC BY-SA 3.0
Getting set up
Moving to Modest Town: who provides what
Modest Town is unincorporated, so Accomack County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerA & N Electric Coop14.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet4 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesAccomack CountyAccomack County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Virginia you can register online until 11 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 11 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereAccomack General RegistrarAccomack County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jan 2016
ZIP code2330823308 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Modest Town for work
Where Modest Town’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
0jobs based in Modest Town
0%of working residents work in town
38 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Modest Town; the nearest are
Eastern Shore Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Melfa16.1 mi$5,082 in-state tuitionUniversity of Maryland Eastern ShoreUniversity or college · Public · Princess Anne, MD27.8 mi$9,076 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Modest Town residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
About Modest Town
Census-designated place in Virginia, United States
Modest Town (sometimes spelled Modestown) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 120.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 33 ft
- ZIP code
- 23412
Questions about Modest Town
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Modest Town, VA a good place to live?
Modest Town has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Modest Town is in here
Say something about Modest Town.
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