Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Richmond earns a D, ranked 236th of 249 in Virginia, mostly because of schools and safety. Its public schools trail 98% of Virginia towns on state tests and graduation. Its crime rate is higher than 90% of U.S. towns, with 1,041 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. One bright spot: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 97% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns, with 255 places on the National Register. 36% of working residents work locally in Richmond, against 4.8% in Virginia’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Virginia State Capitol and John Marshall House. Among 86 Virginia towns, just 3 have a higher property crime rate than Richmond.
Where Richmond beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
John Marshall House| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Virginia Commonwealth University | 25,603 |
| University of Richmond | 3,630 |
| Virginia Union University | 1,153 |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinal Elementary | PK–5 | 821 |
| G.H. Reid Elementary | PK–5 | 671 |
| Broad Rock Elementary | PK–5 | 612 |
John Marshall House is one of 15 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its founding year, 1607, is the earliest of any Virginia town we grade.
Census counts: 3,761 in 1790, 226,610 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1780 and 7 maps from 1894 on.
255 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Richmond takes its name from Richmond upon Thames in London, England, 3,740 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionRichmond, settled in 1607, takes its name from Richmond upon Thames, a London borough.
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Richmond is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Richmond. Close and well known come first.
in town LandmarkHollywood Cemetery
in town LandmarkRobert E. Lee Monument
in town MuseumWhite House of the Confederacy
in town Stadium & arenaRichmond Coliseum
21 mi Theme parkKings Dominion
in town MuseumVirginia Museum of Fine Arts411K visitors a yearHollywood 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 · Kings Dominion: Erechtheus, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Virginia Museum of Fine Arts: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Richmond, 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 Richmond.
Richmond draws workers from Tuckahoe and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Virginia rate.
103 miles of trail in 72 parks and preserves. Richmond’s trail density is 1.7 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Bryan Park, 249 acres with 3.2 miles of trail.
| Richmond | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.7 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.7% | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. James River Park System Main Area | 5.8 mi | 169 |
| 2. Belle Isle | 5 mi | 56 |
| 3. Forest Hill Park | 4.2 mi | 101 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Each of its 7 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D−, Meadowbrook highest at B.
Its public schools are run by the Richmond City Public Schools. Three of its 87 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| River City MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,150 | D− |
| Huguenot HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,469 | C− |
| Richmond Community HighTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 211 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
162,766 jobs are based in Richmond, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of Richmond’s working residents works in town. 18% of Richmond residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Richmond has added 15,677 jobs, to 162,766 in 2023.
| Richmond | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 20% | 17% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Violent crime runs at 4.4 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Virginia rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Property crime runs at 33.2 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Virginia rate, most of it theft.
The violent crime rate in Richmond is 4.4 per 1,000 residents. Richmond reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 90% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
427 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 60 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 87% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 427 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Richmond.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
18.2% of residents live below the poverty line, against 9.9% across Virginia, which weighs on its C+ for jobs and income. Only 43.5% of households own their home, against 67.3% across Virginia.
46% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Richmond. Richmond has grown 4.7% since 2020, to 237,257 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 14% of residents are 65 or older in Richmond.
| Richmond | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 18% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 34.7 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 46% | 44% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 16% | 18% |
52.6% women, 47.4% men
About 90 men for every 100 women. Across Virginia, 50.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 35.0, men 34.4.
| Richmond | VA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.9% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.7% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.4% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 21.7% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.9% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.9% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.5% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.1% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.8% | 8.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.3% | 23.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 18% | 17.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.3% | 7.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.8% | 23.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 18.9% | 18.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Richmond has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 28° and about 9 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Richmond home is worth about $362,000, up 2.8% in a year, 12% below the Virginia typical home.
| Richmond | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 44% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,372 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 52% | 47% | 48% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 9,848 U.S. towns with household incomes like Richmond’s, it is healthier than 69%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Richmond beats the Virginia average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12.
| Richmond | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 8.4% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Richmond | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.4% | 7.7% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5.2% | 6.1% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 11.6% | 7.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
10 within 15 miles of the center of Richmond
About 11 of every 100 Richmond residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
4 colleges in town.
255 places in Richmond on the National Register of Historic Places.
24 notable people were born in Richmond.
Capital city of Virginia, United States
Richmond (, RITCH-mənd) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city since 1871. It is the fourth-most populous city in Virginia, with a population of 226,610 at the 2020 census. The Richmond metropolitan area, with over 1.37 million residents, is the third-most populous metropolitan area in Virginia and 44th-largest in the United States. Richmond is located at the James River's fall line. Richmond was an important village in the Powhatan Confederacy and was briefly settled by English colonists from Jamestown from 1609 to 1611. Founded in 1737, it replaced Williamsburg as the capital of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia in …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Richmond.
All 7 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Meadowbrook (C) is closest.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | #236 | D | C− | D | D− | B− |
| Tuckahoe | #152 | B | C− | — | C+ | A− |
| Meadowbrook | #210 | C | C | — | B | C− |
| Montrose | #203 | C | B | — | C+ | C− |
| Manchester | #193 | C+ | C | — | B | B− |
| East Highland Park | #192 | C+ | B− | — | C+ | C |
| Bensley | #207 | C | B− | — | B | D− |
| Bon Air | #121 | B+ | C | — | B | A− |
Tuckahoe, Meadowbrook, Montrose, Manchester, East Highland Park, Bensley and Bon Air report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Richmond with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Richmond grades D overall, better than 7% of U.S. towns and #236 of 249 in Virginia. It grades B− for health, D for safety and D− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. That is 4.2 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 C−.
24 notable people were born here, including Shirley MacLaine and Warren Beatty.
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