Best Places22206, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 22206, 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.
22206 ranks 473rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on population health by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 22206
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.
22206's strengths and weaknesses
Where 22206 ranks high
- Health outlookBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 99% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 97% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 96% of zip codes
Where 22206 ranks low
- Cheap childcare$2,487 a month, better than only 1% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 2% 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
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 42% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 22206
A household needs to earn about $161,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 22206 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $145,009; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 22206's effective rate of 0.88%, 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 22206
22206 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 22206.
Who works in 22206, and how
Work in 22206 centers on professional & technical and public administration. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 54%
- Work from home 35%
- Transit, walk, or bike 11%
Life in 22206
22206 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 69% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 84% of zip codes. The coast is about 18 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 22206 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 22206, month by month
22206 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 22206
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 22206
Schools across 22206 average an A, better than 90% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Claremont ImmersionA− · 61% proficient
- Charles Barrett ElementaryB · 48% proficient
- Abingdon ElementaryB− · 41% proficient
Top middle schools
- Gunston MiddleA · 65% proficient
- George Washington MiddleA · 63% proficient
- Francis C. Hammond MiddleC+ · 38% 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 22206 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
22206 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 22206 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 22206
Is 22206 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 22206 ranks 473rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on population health, an educated workforce, and biking, 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 22206 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $608,308. The overall cost of living runs about 38% above the national average. Set against a $145,009 median income, cost of living beats 85% of zip codes.
Is 22206 safe?
Yes, 22206 is safer than 66% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $275 per resident a year.
Compare 22206 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 22206. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 22206 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.
22206 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 22206: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 22206: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 22206: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 22206: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
22206 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.