Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A well-rated place to live, with prices to match. Its strongest subject is health (A+). With a B+ overall, Short Pump is better than 73% of U.S. towns. That places it 119th of 249 in Virginia. Incomes is a strength too: the median household earns $139K. The drawback is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $569K, 6.6 years of the Richmond metro’s $87K median household income. The town is home to South University-Richmond. Three quarters of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in the town, where Virginia’s towns sit at 44% and U.S. towns at 29%.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow.
Where Short Pump beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Short Pump | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.4% | 11.1% |
The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1933 and 6 maps from 1936 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Short Pump is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Short Pump. Close and well known come first.
16 mi Theme parkKings Dominion
12 mi LandmarkHollywood Cemetery
11 mi LandmarkRobert E. Lee Monument
13 mi MuseumWhite House of the Confederacy
13 mi Stadium & arenaRichmond Coliseum
11 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
Short Pump is unincorporated, so Henrico 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Short Pump.
Short Pump has less tooth loss than most of Virginia and trades workers with Richmond and other neighbors, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Virginia.
Its widest gap with Virginia is tooth loss: 4.4% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.1% statewide.
In Short Pump, 9% of adults report frequent physical distress. Among adults locally, 13% report frequent mental distress and 26% have obesity.
| Short Pump | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 34% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 23% | 25% |
| What stands out | Short Pump | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.4% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.5% | 13.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Of its 9 schools, three are listed below, each with the reason. The public schools here belong to the Henrico County Public Schools. Public school enrollment in Short Pump: 3,454 students across 5 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short Pump MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,056 | B+ |
| Deep Run HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,992 | A |
| Twin Hickory ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 516 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
58% of Short Pump’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by earthquakes at 17%. On expected storm and flood damage, Short Pump sits below 82% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Short Pump’s peak summer temperature comes in at 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The biggest park or preserve is Tuckahoe Creek Park, at 71 acres. In 7 parks and preserves, walkers have 4.1 miles of trail. Short Pump’s trail network density is 0.5 miles per square mile.
| Short Pump | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.4% | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Short Pump Park | 0.9 mi | 49 |
| 2. Twin Hickory Park | 0.9 mi | 48 |
| 3. Pouncey Tract Park | 0.5 mi | 25 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Short Pump has about as many jobs (14,722) as working residents, but only 869 people both live and work here. 28.8% of workers work from home, against 18.3% across Virginia.
Employers in Short Pump added 2,981 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 14,722. Most people who work leave Short Pump to do it: just 6% work in town. 29% of workers do their job from home in the town. Half the trips to work are shorter than 11 miles.
| Short Pump | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 29% | 17% | 11% |
| Median household income | $139,000 | $101,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.6% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 6.6 years of the Richmond metro’s $87K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 88% of Virginia towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $4,213, against $2,790 across Virginia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Homes sold in Short Pump spent a median 31 days on the market. The midpoint rent for Short Pump comes to $1,847 a month. The share of households in Short Pump who are owner-occupiers: 58%.
| Short Pump | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,847 a month | $1,760 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
10 within 15 miles of the center of Short Pump
About 6 of every 100 Short Pump residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
24,729 counted in 2010 and 30,626 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Census-designated place in Virginia, United States
Short Pump is a census-designated place (CDP) in Henrico County, Virginia, United States. It is a suburb of Richmond. The population was 30,626 at the 2020 census. The original village of Short Pump was located at the intersection of Three Chopt Road (formerly known as Three Notched Trail), Richmond Turnpike and Pouncey Tract Road. The area first centered around a local tavern that was expanded by Col. Robert H. Saunders beginning in 1814. According to local legend, it was named for the short handled water pump for stagecoach horses to drink from, which was located beneath the porch of the tavern, though there is some debate over the name's origin. This area was on the principal route betwe…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Short Pump.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short Pump | #119 | B+ | D | — | C+ | A+ |
| Tuckahoe | #152 | B | C− | — | C+ | A− |
| Wyndham | #140 | B+ | C− | — | C+ | A+ |
| Innsbrook | #111 | A− | C− | — | C+ | A+ |
Short Pump, Tuckahoe, Wyndham and Innsbrook report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Short Pump with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Short Pump grades B+ overall, better than 73% of U.S. towns and #119 of 249 in Virginia. It grades A+ for health and C+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $569,000, 38% above 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 D.
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