Best Places22202, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 22202, 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.
22202 ranks 425th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on an educated workforce by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 22202
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.
22202's strengths and weaknesses
Where 22202 ranks high
- Educational attainmentBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 99% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 98% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 97% of zip codes
Where 22202 ranks low
- Cheap childcare$2,495 a month, better than only 1% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 64 pleasant days a year, better than only 14% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 38% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 22202
A household needs to earn about $220,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 22202 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $145,837, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 22202's effective rate of 0.87%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 22202
22202 runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 22202.
Who works in 22202, and how
Work in 22202 centers on professional & technical and public administration. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 37%
- Work from home 35%
- Transit, walk, or bike 29%
Life in 22202
22202 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 99% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 67% of zip codes. The coast is about 20 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 22202 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 22202, month by month
22202 sees roughly 64 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 49, with lows near 30. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 38° | 30° |
| April | 72° | 59° | 48° |
| July | 92° | 81° | 73° |
| October | 74° | 63° | 53° |
Flying in and out of 22202
Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl sits about 1 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 22202
Schools across 22202 average an A, better than 91% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Long Branch ElementaryA · 67% proficient
- Claremont ImmersionA− · 61% proficient
- Oakridge ElementaryA− · 58% proficient
Top middle schools
- Gunston MiddleA · 65% proficient
- George Washington MiddleA · 63% proficient
- Jefferson MiddleA · 62% proficient
Top high schools
- Arlington Community HighA · 68% proficient
- Alexandria City High SchoolB+ · 54% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 22202 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
22202 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 22202 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 22202 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 83% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 35% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 22202
Is 22202 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 22202 ranks 425th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on an educated workforce, population health, and walkability, and lowest on childcare costs and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 22202 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $834,547. The overall cost of living runs about 45% above the national average. Set against a $145,837 median income, cost of living beats 83% of zip codes.
Is 22202 safe?
22202 is safer than 38% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $488 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 22202?
July highs average about 92 degrees, and January highs near 49 with lows near 30. That works out to about 64 pleasant days a year, more than 14% of zip codes.
Is 22202 good for families?
Schools beat 91% of zip codes, crime safety beats 38%, and childcare runs $2,495 a month.
Compare 22202 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 22202. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 22202 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.
22202 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 22202: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 22202: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 22202: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 22202: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
22202 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.