Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A regional job hub with 2,060 jobs.
Tappahannock’s best subject grades are an A− for history and a B for civic life; its weakest is a D− for incomes. 25% of residents live below the poverty line in Tappahannock, above both the Virginia town median (7.7%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 9 of Virginia’s 369 towns score lower on incomes. Tappahannock reports more crime per resident than 88% of U.S. towns, including 11 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Only 34 of Virginia’s 372 towns score lower on the outdoors. Tappahannock has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Tappahannock Historic District and Woodlawn. Tappahannock has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Tappahannock beats most towns.
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1751.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Tappahannock is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Tappahannock, 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 Tappahannock.
Most working residents leave Tappahannock for work: only 13% work in town. Tappahannock’s median household income is $47,000, where Virginia’s towns sit at $102,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. Tappahannock’s average trip to work is 33 minutes.
| Tappahannock | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $47,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 4.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Essex County Public Schools. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Essex High, with 393 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tappahannock ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 400 | C− |
| Essex HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 393 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
The violent crime rate in Tappahannock is 5 per 1,000 residents. Tappahannock reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 88% report less. The property crime rate in Tappahannock is 22.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Tappahannock | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 22.3 per 1,000 residents | 14.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Tappahannock beats the Virginia average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 44% of adults have high blood pressure in Tappahannock. Among 254 Virginia towns, just 7 have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Tappahannock.
| Tappahannock | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 33% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 11% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Tappahannock | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.5% | 14.5% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.8% | 76.8% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 11.3% | 7.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Tappahannock home is worth about $307,000, up 2.2% in a year, 26% below the Virginia typical home. 31% of Tappahannock households own their home.
| Tappahannock | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 31% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $942 a month | $1,762 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Tappahannock has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 28° and about 12 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 61% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Tappahannock.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Marsh Street Park & Pool | — | 3 |
| 2. Rappahannock River Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Tappahannock; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Tappahannock residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
Where Tappahannock’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 notable people were born in Tappahannock.
Town in Virginia, United States
Tappahannock is the oldest town in Essex County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Tappahannock had a population of 2,193. Located on the Rappahannock River, Tappahannock is the county seat of Essex County. Its name comes from an Algonquian language word toppehannock, meaning "cold-water creek". In 1608 English explorer John Smith landed in Tappahannock and fought with the local Rappahannock people. After defeating them, he later made peace.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 5.4 years of the area's median household income ($56,520 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
7 notable people were born here, including Benjamin Blake Minor and Thomas Croxton.
