Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Petersburg grades D− overall, ranked 241st of 249 in Virginia, mostly because of safety and health. It reports more crime per resident than 95% of U.S. towns, including 311 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Residents are less healthy than 94% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. One bright spot: natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 54 places on the National Register. Petersburg’s violent crime rate is 9.1 per 1,000 residents, against 2.3 in Virginia’s towns and 1.6 across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Exchange Building and Petersburg Breakthrough Battlefield. Petersburg's public schools trail 88% of Virginia towns on state tests and graduation.
Where Petersburg beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Exchange Building
Exchange Building is one of 2 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its 54 National Register listings are more than in 96% of Virginia towns with a listing.
Census counts: 2,828 in 1790, 33,458 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1702 and 7 maps from 1894 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Petersburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Petersburg, 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 Petersburg.
Petersburg has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it reports violent crime at 4 times the Virginia rate and has poverty well above the Virginia rate.
Violent crime runs at 9.1 per 1,000 residents, 4 times the Virginia rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Property crime runs at 29.2 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Virginia rate, most of it theft.
The property crime rate in Petersburg is 29.2 per 1,000 residents. Petersburg reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 95% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Each of its 3 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D, Ettrick highest at B.
Its public schools are run by the Petersburg City Public Schools. Two of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon Johns MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 949 | D |
| Petersburg HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,215 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
All 3 graded neighbors score healthier than its D, from Matoaca (C) to Ettrick (B).
46% of adults have obesity in Petersburg. Among 253 Virginia towns, just 6 have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Petersburg. 47% of adults have high blood pressure in Petersburg.
| Petersburg | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 34% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 11% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 36% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Petersburg | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.8% | 7.7% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.3% | 14.5% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 16.9% | 7.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
26 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. Petersburg’s trail density is 1.2 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Petersburg National Battlefield Park, 929 acres with 8.6 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Petersburg National Battlefield Park | 8.6 mi | 929 |
| 2. Lee Memorial Park | 1.3 mi | 373 |
| 3. McKenzie Street Park | 0.3 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
84 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 16 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 89% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 84 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Petersburg.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 2.9 years of the Richmond metro’s $87K median household income, the typical home (about $249K) costs less against local pay than in 93% of Virginia towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living. Home values rose 52% in five years, to about $249K, against 23% across Virginia.
The typical Petersburg home is worth about $249,000, up 2.9% in a year, 40% below the Virginia typical home. 39% of Petersburg households own their home.
| Petersburg | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 39% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,174 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 51% | 47% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Petersburg has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 29° and about 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Petersburg for work: only 13% work in town. Jobs based in Petersburg fell to 11,136 in 2023, 1,061 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Richmond (10%), Colonial Heights (4%) and Hopewell (2%).
| Petersburg | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 22% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Work from home | 10% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Petersburg. Close and well known come first.
23 mi LandmarkHollywood Cemetery
38 mi MuseumColonial Williamsburg
12 mi Ancient siteHenricus
24 mi LandmarkRobert E. Lee Monument
23 mi MuseumWhite House of the Confederacy
24 mi Stadium & arenaRichmond ColiseumHollywood Cemetery: Andrew Bain, Public domain · Colonial Williamsburg: Humberto Moreno, CC BY 2.0 · Henricus: Morgan Riley, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 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
4 within 15 miles of the center of Petersburg
About 7 of every 100 Petersburg residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
54 places in Petersburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
57 notable people were born in Petersburg.
Independent city in Virginia, United States
Petersburg is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Dinwiddie County for statistical purposes. The city is 21 miles (34 km) south of the commonwealth (state) capital city of Richmond. It sits at the fall line of the Appomattox River, a tributary of the longer, larger James River which flows east to meet the southern mouth of the Chesapeake Bay at the Hampton Roads harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. In 1645, the Virginia House of Burgesses ordered the building of Fort Henry, which attracted traders and settlers to the area. Three settle…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Petersburg.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Matoaca (C−) is closest.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petersburg | #241 | D− | B | D | D | D |
| Ettrick | #95 | A− | A | — | B | B |
| Fort Gregg-Adams | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Colonial Heights | #186 | C+ | B | D | B− | B |
| Matoaca | #212 | C− | B | — | B | C |
Ettrick and Matoaca report no FBI crime data of their own. Fort Gregg-Adams isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Petersburg with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Petersburg grades D− overall, better than 5% of U.S. towns and #241 of 249 in Virginia. It grades D for health, D for safety and D for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 2.9 years of the area's median household income ($86,679 across the Richmond, 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 B.
57 notable people were born here, including Joseph Cotten and Moses Malone.
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