Best Places22309, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 22309, 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.
22309 ranks 5,555th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on big-city access by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 22309
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.
22309's strengths and weaknesses
Where 22309 ranks high
- Big-city accessBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Household income$120,515 median, better than 90% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 86% of zip codes
Where 22309 ranks low
- Cheap childcare$1,512 a month, better than only 5% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 59 pleasant days a year, better than only 6% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Short commute32.0 minutes each way, better than only 20% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 22309
A household needs to earn about $146,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 22309 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $120,515, 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 22309's effective rate of 1.02%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 22309
22309's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 22309.
Who works in 22309, and how
Work in 22309 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 72%
- Work from home 20%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 22309
22309 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes and more parkland per resident than 78% of zip codes. The coast is about 16 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 22309 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 22309, month by month
22309 sees roughly 59 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 48, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 36° | 26° |
| April | 72° | 57° | 44° |
| July | 91° | 79° | 68° |
| October | 73° | 60° | 48° |
Flying in and out of 22309
Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl sits about 9 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 22309
Schools across 22309 average a B−, better than 54% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Washington Mill ElementaryC+ · 38% proficient
- Riverside ElementaryC · 35% proficient
- Mount Vernon Woods ElementaryC− · 26% proficient
Top middle schools
- Whitman MiddleB− · 42% proficient
Top high schools
- Mount Vernon HighB · 50% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 22309 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
22309 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 22309 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 22309 suits
Families
Schools land around the 54th percentile and crime safety beats 79%.
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 20% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 22309
Is 22309 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 22309 ranks 5,555th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on big-city access, high incomes, and transit, 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 22309 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $543,196. The overall cost of living runs about 26% above the national average. Set against a $120,515 median income, cost of living beats 70% of zip codes.
Is 22309 safe?
Yes, 22309 is safer than 79% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $260 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 22309?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 48 with lows near 26. That works out to about 59 pleasant days a year, more than 6% of zip codes.
Is 22309 good for families?
Schools beat 54% of zip codes, crime safety beats 79%, and childcare runs $1,512 a month.
Compare 22309 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 22309. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 22309 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.
22309 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 22309: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 22309: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 22309: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 22309: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
22309 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.