Best Places22485, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 22485, 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.
22485 ranks 2,835th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on what local pay buys by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 22485
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.
22485's strengths and weaknesses
Where 22485 ranks high
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Household income$120,065 median, better than 90% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 86% of zip codes
Where 22485 ranks low
- Short commute37.9 minutes each way, better than only 6% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 73 pleasant days a year, better than only 31% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 22485
A household needs to earn about $109,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 22485 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $120,065, 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 22485's effective rate of 0.55%, 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 22485
22485'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 22485.
Who works in 22485, and how
Work in 22485 centers on public administration and professional & technical. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 22485
22485 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 79% of zip codes. The coast is about 8 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 22485 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 22485, month by month
22485 sees roughly 73 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 22485
Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl sits about 40 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 22485
Schools across 22485 average an A−, better than 86% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Sealston ElementaryA− · 58% proficient
- Potomac ElementaryA− · 56% proficient
- King George ElementaryB+ · 51% proficient
Top middle schools
- King George MiddleA · 60% proficient
- Montross MiddleB · 45% proficient
- Piccowaxen Middle SchoolC− · 31% proficient
Top high schools
- King George HighA− · 65% proficient
- Colonial Beach HighA− · 62% proficient
- Westmoreland HighB+ · 52% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 22485 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
22485 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 22485 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 22485 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 93% of zip codes and 16% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 22485
Is 22485 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 22485 ranks 2,835th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on what local pay buys, low crime, and tree cover, 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 22485 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $432,699. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $120,065 median income, cost of living beats 93% of zip codes.
Is 22485 safe?
Yes, 22485 is safer than 91% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $200 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 22485?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 48 with lows near 29. That works out to about 73 pleasant days a year, more than 31% of zip codes.
Is 22485 good for families?
Schools beat 86% of zip codes, crime safety beats 91%, and childcare runs $824 a month.
Compare 22485 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 22485. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 22485 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.
22485 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 22485: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 22485: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 22485: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 22485: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
22485 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.