Best Places22726, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 22726, 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.
22726 ranks 15,688th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 22726
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.
22726's strengths and weaknesses
Where 22726 ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 22726 ranks low
- Short commute55.9 minutes each way, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 59 pleasant days a year, better than only 7% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 22726
A household needs to earn about $95,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 22726 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $88,750; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 22726's effective rate of 0.45%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 22726
22726'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 22726.
Who works in 22726, and how
Work in 22726 centers on professional & technical and construction. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 22726
The coast is about 44 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 22726, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 22726, month by month
22726 sees roughly 59 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 48, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 36° | 24° |
| April | 73° | 57° | 43° |
| July | 92° | 78° | 67° |
| October | 74° | 59° | 46° |
Flying in and out of 22726
The nearest airport, Charlottesville-Albemarle, is about 39 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Washington Dulles International, about 42 miles away.
The best schools in and around 22726
Schools across 22726 average a B+, better than 80% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Pearl Sample ElementaryB− · 43% proficient
Top middle schools
- Locust Grove MiddleA · 59% proficient
- Floyd T. Binns MiddleA− · 53% proficient
Top high schools
- Eastern View HighA · 70% proficient
- Orange County HighA · 67% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 22726 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
22726 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 22726 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 22726
Is 22726 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 22726 ranks 15,688th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low crime, tree cover, and low property taxes, and lowest on long commutes and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 22726 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $381,500. The overall cost of living runs about 24% above the national average. Set against a $88,750 median income, cost of living beats 26% of zip codes.
Is 22726 safe?
Yes, 22726 is safer than 94% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $170 per resident a year.
Compare 22726 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 22726. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 22726 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.
22726 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 22726: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 22726: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 22726: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 22726: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
22726 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.