Best Places22427, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 22427, 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.
22427 ranks 11,572nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores best on cheap car insurance, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 22427
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.
22427's strengths and weaknesses
Where 22427 ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 83% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 80% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 78% of zip codes
- Household income$94,772 median, better than 76% of zip codes
Where 22427 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 69 pleasant days a year, better than only 23% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 30% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 30% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 22427
A household needs to earn about $77,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 22427 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $94,772, 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 22427's effective rate of 0.49%, 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 22427
22427'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 22427.
Who works in 22427, and how
Work in 22427 centers on public administration and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in 22427
The coast is about 34 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 22427, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 22427, month by month
22427 sees roughly 69 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 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° | 38° | 29° |
| April | 71° | 59° | 48° |
| July | 90° | 80° | 71° |
| October | 72° | 60° | 51° |
Flying in and out of 22427
Richmond International sits about 37 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 2.5 million passengers in 2025, with 72 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 22427
Schools across 22427 average a B, better than 66% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Bowling Green ElementaryC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Caroline MiddleB+ · 51% proficient
Top high schools
- Caroline HighA− · 60% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 22427 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
22427 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 22427 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 22427
Is 22427 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 22427 ranks 11,572nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, low property taxes, and big-city access, and lowest on state finances and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 22427 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $307,514. The overall cost of living runs about 6% below the national average. Set against a $94,772 median income, cost of living beats 74% of zip codes.
Is 22427 safe?
22427 is safer than 36% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $386 per resident a year.
Compare 22427 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 22427. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 22427 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.
22427 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 22427: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 22427: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 22427: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 22427: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
22427 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.