Best Places22406, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 22406, 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.
22406 ranks 2,234th 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 22406
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.
22406's strengths and weaknesses
Where 22406 ranks high
- Household income$145,835 median, better than 95% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 93% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 89% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 85% of zip codes
Where 22406 ranks low
- Short commute36.6 minutes each way, better than only 8% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 68 pleasant days a year, better than only 20% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 28% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 31% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 22406
A household needs to earn about $135,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 22406 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $145,835, 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 22406's effective rate of 0.69%, 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 22406
22406 runs older 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 22406.
Who works in 22406, and how
Work in 22406 centers on public administration and professional & technical. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 22406
The coast is about 23 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 22406, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 22406, month by month
22406 sees roughly 68 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 48, with lows near 29. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 37° | 29° |
| April | 71° | 58° | 47° |
| July | 91° | 79° | 69° |
| October | 71° | 59° | 49° |
Flying in and out of 22406
Washington Dulles International sits about 40 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 13.9 million passengers in 2025, with 200 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 22406
Schools across 22406 average an A−, better than 89% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Margaret Brent ElementaryA · 70% proficient
- Winding Creek ElementaryA · 65% proficient
- Hartwood ElementaryB+ · 54% proficient
Top middle schools
- Rodney E. Thompson MiddleA+ · 72% proficient
- T. Benton Gayle MiddleA− · 58% proficient
- Edward E. Drew Jr. MiddleA− · 53% proficient
Top high schools
- Mountain View HighA · 77% proficient
- Colonial Forge HighA · 74% proficient
- Stafford Senior HighA− · 64% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 22406 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
22406 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 22406 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 22406 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 93% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 16% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 22406
Is 22406 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 22406 ranks 2,234th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on high incomes, what local pay buys, and good schools, and lowest on long commutes and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 22406 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $525,081. The overall cost of living runs about 11% above the national average. Set against a $145,835 median income, cost of living beats 93% of zip codes.
Is 22406 safe?
Yes, 22406 is safer than 86% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $223 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 22406?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 48 with lows near 29. That works out to about 68 pleasant days a year, more than 20% of zip codes.
Is 22406 good for families?
Schools beat 89% of zip codes, crime safety beats 86%, and childcare runs $1,027 a month.
Compare 22406 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 22406. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 22406 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.
22406 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 22406: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 22406: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 22406: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 22406: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
22406 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.