Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For a city of 453,737, Virginia Beach does well: it grades B+, 130th of 249 graded towns in Virginia State. Its schools rank ahead of 89% of Virginia State towns and the median household earns $93K. The trade-off: homes are expensive, about $425K for a typical one and 5.2 times the Virginia Beach metro’s $82K median household income. 47% of working residents work locally in Virginia Beach, above both the Virginia State town median (4.8%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Thoroughgood House and Cape Henry Lighthouse. Only 35 of Virginia State’s 372 towns score higher on hazard risk.
Where Virginia Beach beats most towns.
Cape Henry Lighthouse| College | Students |
|---|---|
| ECPI University | 8,018 |
| Regent University | 1,955 |
| Virginia Wesleyan University | 1,494 |
Cape Henry Lighthouse is one of 2 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its 36 National Register listings are more than in 95% of Virginia State towns with a listing.
Census counts: 320 in 1910, 459,470 in 2020. The archive holds 23 old photos and papers going back to 1607 and 5 maps from 1948 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia State), ordered by how far Virginia Beach is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for hazard risk (better than 96% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 13%), so the B+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Virginia Beach. Close and well known come first.
22 mi National MonumentFort Monroe National Monument
in town GardenMount Trashmore Park
15 mi MuseumMacArthur Memorial
in town State parkFirst Landing State Park
in town MuseumMilitary Aviation Museum
15 mi Stadium & arenaNorfolk ScopeFort Monroe National Monument: Unknown, Public domain · Mount Trashmore Park: Kubigula (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · MacArthur Memorial: Unknown, Public domain · First Landing State Park: Virginia State Parks staff, CC BY 2.0 · Military Aviation Museum: Jnc, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Norfolk Scope: Cag1970, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Virginia Beach, 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 Virginia Beach.
Virginia Beach has seen reported crime fall beyond ordinary swings and pairs an A for schools with high home prices, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $425K.
Its public schools are run by the Virginia Beach City Public Schools. Three of its 124 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larkspur MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,488 | B |
| Landstown HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,152 | A− |
| Old Donation SchoolTop results in townGrades 2–8 | Grades 2–8 | 1,377 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
4,719 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 666 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 92% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 4,719 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Virginia Beach.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Virginia Beach beats the Virginia State average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 36% of Virginia Beach adults feel lonely.
| Virginia Beach | Virginia State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 34% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 36% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Virginia Beach | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.3% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.9% | 3.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Virginia Beach has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 32° and about 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
203 miles of trail in 115 parks and preserves. Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, at 13,618 acres with 2.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. First Landing State Park | 19.9 mi | 2,949 |
| 2. Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge | 2.7 mi | 13,618 |
| 3. West Neck Creek Nature Area | 2.6 mi | 189 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Virginia Beach’s average trip to work is 23 minutes. Since 2013, Virginia Beach has added 8,441 jobs, to 165,839 in 2023. The top destinations are Norfolk (17%), Chesapeake (12%) and Portsmouth (2%).
| Virginia Beach | Virginia State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 14% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $93,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 7,953 to 7,054 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Virginia Beach is 1 per 1,000 residents. Within Virginia State, it does better than 73% of towns.
| Virginia Beach | Virginia State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.5 per 1,000 residents | 14.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Virginia Beach home is worth about $425,000, up 3.2% in a year, close to the Virginia State typical home. 55% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent in Virginia Beach.
| Virginia Beach | Virginia State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 55% | 47% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,714 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Virginia State average. 41% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 42% across Virginia State.
| Virginia Beach | Virginia State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 44% | 29% |
| Median age | 37.9 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 16% | 18% |
51.0% women, 49.0% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across Virginia State, 50.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 39.3, men 36.4.
| Virginia Beach | VA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.9% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.4% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.4% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.3% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.6% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.5% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.5% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.4% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.3% | 8.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22% | 23.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.6% | 17.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.1% | 7.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.4% | 23.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.5% | 18.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
10 within 15 miles of the center of Virginia Beach
About 7 of every 100 Virginia Beach residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia State.
6 colleges in town.
36 places in Virginia Beach on the National Register of Historic Places.
56 notable people were born in Virginia Beach.
Largest city in Virginia, United States
Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the most populous city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the sixth-most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, ninth-most populous in the Southeast, and the 43rd-most populous city in the U.S. with a population of 459,470 at the 2020 census. Virginia Beach is a principal city in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, which has more than 1.8 million inhabitants and is the 37th-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. Virginia Beach is a resort city with miles of beaches and hundreds of hotels, motels, and restaurants along its oceanfron…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Virginia Beach.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach | #130 | B+ | D | B− | A | B+ |
| Norfolk | #238 | D | C | D | D− | C+ |
| Chesapeake | #200 | C | C− | C | B+ | B− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Virginia Beach grades B+ overall, better than 70% of U.S. towns and #130 of 249 in Virginia State. It grades B+ for health, B− for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Within Virginia State, it does better than 73% of towns.
56 notable people were born here, including Walker Scobell and Danja.
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