Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Waynesboro grades D overall, ranked 225th of 249 in Virginia, mostly because of schools. Its public schools trail 86% of Virginia towns on state tests and graduation. It also has a long history, with 12 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include Coiner-Quesenbery House and Fairfax Hall. 19% of working residents work locally in Waynesboro, above both Virginia’s towns (4.8%) and U.S. towns (8%). The biggest park or preserve is Ridgeview Park, at 71 acres.
Where Waynesboro beats most towns.
Census counts: 457 in 1860, 22,196 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1860 and 4 maps from 1934 on.
12 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Waynesboro is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Waynesboro. Close and well known come first.
3 mi National ParkShenandoah National Park1.7M visitors a year
3 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
21 mi Stadium & arenaScott Stadium
22 mi Stadium & arenaJohn Paul Jones Arena
30 mi National forestGeorge Washington and Jefferson National Forests
23 mi GardenMarket Street ParkShenandoah National Park: Image copyright 2005 by user G. Edward Johnson (user Lorax) and released under t, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Scott Stadium: Mak7912, CC BY-SA 3.0 · John Paul Jones Arena: Bob Mical, CC BY 2.0 · George Washington and Jefferson National Forests: Aneta Kaluzna, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Market Street Park: Chad Fennell, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Waynesboro, 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 Waynesboro.
Waynesboro fares better on crime within Virginia than nationally, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Stuarts Draft and other neighbors.
Each of its 3 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D, Fishersville highest at B+.
Its public schools are run by the Waynesboro City Public Schools. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Waynesboro High, with 926 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kate Collins MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 602 | C− |
| Waynesboro HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 926 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
| Waynesboro | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.3% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ridgeview Park | 0.5 mi | 71 |
| 2. George Washington National Forest | 0.4 mi | 67 |
| 3. Constitution Park | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 8,899 U.S. towns with household incomes like Waynesboro’s, it is less healthy than 55%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income. All 3 graded neighbors score healthier than its C, from Fishersville (C+) to Lyndhurst (B−).
Waynesboro beats the Virginia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 15% of Waynesboro adults report frequent physical distress.
| Waynesboro | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 33% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Waynesboro | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.5% | 6.2% |
| More smokers | 15.7% | 12.2% |
| More adults with heart disease | 7.5% | 6.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Waynesboro home is worth about $317,000, up 2.8% in a year, 23% below the Virginia typical home. Waynesboro’s median rent is $1,020 a month.
| Waynesboro | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,020 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 60% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 26.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 52% of Virginia’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Waynesboro has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 25° and about 11 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Waynesboro has about as many jobs (9,586) as working residents, but only 1,966 people both live and work here.
The median household income in Waynesboro is $60,000. The top destinations are Stuarts Draft (9%), Fishersville (6%) and Staunton (6%). The average trip to work in Waynesboro is 21 minutes.
| Waynesboro | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $60,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 10% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
293 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 53 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 293 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Waynesboro.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Waynesboro
About 5 of every 100 Waynesboro residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
12 places in Waynesboro on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 notable people were born in Waynesboro.
Independent city in Virginia, United States
Waynesboro (; formerly Flack) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It is one of two cities in the Staunton-Stuarts Draft Metropolitan Statistical Area, with Staunton being the largest. Waynesboro is located in the Shenandoah Valley and is surrounded by Augusta County. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 22,196.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Waynesboro.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waynesboro | #225 | D | B− | C | D | C |
| Fishersville | #202 | C | C− | — | B+ | C+ |
| Lyndhurst | — | — | A− | — | B+ | B− |
| Dooms | — | — | A | — | B+ | C+ |
Lyndhurst and Dooms have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Fishersville, Lyndhurst and Dooms report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Waynesboro with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Waynesboro grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #225 of 249 in Virginia. It grades C for health, C for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 4.3 years of the area's median household income ($73,544 across the Staunton-Stuarts Draft, 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−.
13 notable people were born here, including Kid Kash and Cory Alexander.
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