Best Places22602, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 22602, 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.
22602 ranks 2,430th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 22602
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.
22602's strengths and weaknesses
Where 22602 ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Household income$109,676 median, better than 86% of zip codes
Where 22602 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Short commute30.9 minutes each way, better than only 24% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 34% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 42% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 22602
A household needs to earn about $94,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 22602 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $109,676, 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 22602's effective rate of 0.51%, 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 22602
22602'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 22602.
Who works in 22602, and how
Work in 22602 centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 22602
22602 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes and more parkland per resident than 86% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 22602 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 22602, month by month
22602 sees roughly 89 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 41, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 33° | 26° |
| April | 65° | 54° | 43° |
| July | 86° | 75° | 66° |
| October | 67° | 56° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 22602
Washington Dulles International sits about 41 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 22602
Schools across 22602 average a B+, better than 80% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Armel ElementaryA− · 60% proficient
- Boyce ElementaryB+ · 55% proficient
- Middletown ElementaryB+ · 55% proficient
Top middle schools
- Johnson-williams MiddleA− · 57% proficient
- Admiral Richard E. Byrd MiddleA− · 55% proficient
- Robert E. Aylor MiddleA− · 53% proficient
Top high schools
- Sherando HighA · 77% proficient
- Millbrook HighA · 74% proficient
- Clarke County HighA · 73% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 22602 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
22602 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 22602 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 22602 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 88% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 13% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 22602
Is 22602 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 22602 ranks 2,430th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low crime, few empty homes, and cheap car insurance, and lowest on state finances and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 22602 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $375,531. The overall cost of living runs about 5% below the national average. Set against a $109,676 median income, cost of living beats 88% of zip codes.
Is 22602 safe?
Yes, 22602 is safer than 93% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $199 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 22602?
July highs average about 86 degrees, and January highs near 41 with lows near 26. That works out to about 89 pleasant days a year, more than 55% of zip codes.
Is 22602 good for families?
Schools beat 80% of zip codes, crime safety beats 93%, and childcare runs $828 a month.
Compare 22602 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 22602. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 22602 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.
22602 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 22602: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 22602: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 22602: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 22602: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
22602 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.