Best Places22026, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 22026, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
22026 ranks 3,702nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on high incomes by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 22026
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
22026's strengths and weaknesses
Where 22026 ranks high
- Household income$141,493 median, better than 95% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 89% of zip codes
Where 22026 ranks low
- Short commute39.1 minutes each way, better than only 5% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,333 a month, better than only 13% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 36% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 22026
A household needs to earn about $136,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 22026 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $141,493, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 22026's effective rate of 1.00%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 22026
22026 runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 22026.
Who works in 22026, and how
Work in 22026 centers on health care & social and public administration. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 74%
- Work from home 19%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in 22026
22026 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 97% of zip codes. The coast is about 5 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 22026 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 22026, month by month
22026 sees roughly 80 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 48, with lows near 28. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 37° | 28° |
| April | 72° | 59° | 47° |
| July | 91° | 81° | 72° |
| October | 73° | 62° | 52° |
Flying in and out of 22026
Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl sits about 24 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 12.0 million passengers in 2025, with 128 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 22026
Schools across 22026 average a B+, better than 76% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- John F. Pattie Sr. ElementaryA · 62% proficient
- Covington-harper ElementaryA− · 58% proficient
- Leesylvania ElementaryB+ · 55% proficient
Top middle schools
- Rippon MiddleA · 60% proficient
- Graham Park MiddleA− · 54% proficient
- Potomac MiddleB · 44% proficient
Top high schools
- Forest Park HighA · 71% proficient
- Potomac HighA · 67% proficient
- Henry E. Lackey High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 22026 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
22026 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 22026 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 22026 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 89% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 19% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 22026
Is 22026 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 22026 ranks 3,702nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on high incomes, big-city access, and what local pay buys, and lowest on long commutes and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 22026 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $506,095. The overall cost of living runs about 14% above the national average. Set against a $141,493 median income, cost of living beats 89% of zip codes.
Is 22026 safe?
22026 is safer than 49% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $338 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 22026?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 48 with lows near 28. That works out to about 80 pleasant days a year, more than 44% of zip codes.
Is 22026 good for families?
Schools beat 76% of zip codes, crime safety beats 49%, and childcare runs $1,333 a month.
Compare 22026 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 22026. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 22026 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
22026 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 22026: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 22026: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 22026: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 22026: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
22026 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.