Best Places22603, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 22603, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
22603 ranks 4,814th 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 22603
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.
22603's strengths and weaknesses
Where 22603 ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 81% of zip codes
Where 22603 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Short commute32.8 minutes each way, better than only 17% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 20% 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 22603
A household needs to earn about $85,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 22603 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $93,253, 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 22603's effective rate of 0.50%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 22603
22603 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 22603.
Who works in 22603, and how
Work in 22603 centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 22603
22603 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 78% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 22603 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 22603, month by month
22603 sees roughly 88 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 22603
The nearest airport, Hagerstown Regional/Richard A Henson Field, is about 40 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Washington Dulles International, about 43 miles away.
The best schools in and around 22603
Schools across 22603 average a B+, better than 76% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Virginia Avenue Charlotte Dehart ElementaryB+ · 53% proficient
- Apple Pie Ridge ElementaryB+ · 52% proficient
- Orchard View ElementaryB · 48% proficient
Top middle schools
- Daniel Morgan MiddleA · 63% proficient
- Frederick County MiddleB+ · 48% proficient
- James Wood MiddleB− · 42% proficient
Top high schools
- Millbrook HighA · 74% proficient
- James Wood HighA · 68% proficient
- John Handley HighA− · 62% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 22603 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
22603 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 22603 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 22603
Is 22603 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 22603 ranks 4,814th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low crime, cheap car insurance, and few empty homes, 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 22603 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $337,788. The overall cost of living runs about 4% below the national average. Set against a $93,253 median income, cost of living beats 74% of zip codes.
Is 22603 safe?
Yes, 22603 is safer than 96% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $206 per resident a year.
Compare 22603 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 22603. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 22603 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.
22603 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 22603: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 22603: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 22603: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 22603: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
22603 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.