Best Places22204, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 22204, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
22204 ranks 1,037th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on biking by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 22204
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.
22204's strengths and weaknesses
Where 22204 ranks high
- BikingBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 97% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 96% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 95% of zip codes
Where 22204 ranks low
- Cheap childcare$2,495 a month, better than only 1% 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
- QuietBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 30% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 22204
A household needs to earn about $178,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 22204 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $117,843, 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 22204's effective rate of 0.82%, 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 22204
22204 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 22204.
Who works in 22204, and how
Work in 22204 centers on professional & technical and public administration. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 57%
- Work from home 25%
- Transit, walk, or bike 18%
Life in 22204
22204 has more late-night spots per resident than 65% of zip codes. The coast is about 20 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 22204 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 22204, month by month
22204 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 22204
Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl sits about 3 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 22204
Schools across 22204 average an A−, better than 88% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Jamestown ElementaryA+ · 83% proficient
- Montessori Public School Of ArlingtonA · 68% proficient
- Long Branch ElementaryA · 67% proficient
Top middle schools
- Gunston MiddleA · 65% proficient
- Jefferson MiddleA · 62% proficient
- Kenmore MiddleA− · 53% proficient
Top high schools
- Arlington Community HighA · 68% proficient
- Wakefield HighA− · 65% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 22204 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
22204 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 22204 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 22204 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 25% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 22204
Is 22204 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 22204 ranks 1,037th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on biking, population health, and walkability, and lowest on childcare costs and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 22204 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $680,410. The overall cost of living runs about 32% above the national average. Set against a $117,843 median income, cost of living beats 65% of zip codes.
Is 22204 safe?
Yes, 22204 is safer than 76% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $245 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 22204?
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 22204 good for families?
Schools beat 88% of zip codes, crime safety beats 76%, and childcare runs $2,495 a month.
Compare 22204 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 22204. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 22204 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.
22204 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 22204: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 22204: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 22204: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 22204: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
22204 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.