Best Places22742, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 22742, 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.
22742 ranks 7,832nd 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 22742
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.
22742's strengths and weaknesses
Where 22742 ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 82% of zip codes
Where 22742 ranks low
- Short commute41.7 minutes each way, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 62 pleasant days a year, better than only 12% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 22742
A household needs to earn about $118,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 22742 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $103,367, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 22742's effective rate of 0.67%, 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 22742
22742'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 22742.
Who works in 22742, and how
Work in 22742 centers on construction and retail trade. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 91%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 22742
The coast is about 36 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 22742, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 22742, month by month
22742 sees roughly 62 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 47, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 36° | 26° |
| April | 71° | 57° | 45° |
| July | 91° | 78° | 67° |
| October | 73° | 59° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 22742
Washington Dulles International sits about 36 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 22742
Schools across 22742 average a B, better than 68% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Mary Walter ElementaryB · 47% proficient
- Pearl Sample ElementaryB− · 43% proficient
Top middle schools
- Floyd T. Binns MiddleA− · 53% proficient
- Cedar Lee MiddleB · 45% proficient
Top high schools
- Eastern View HighA · 70% proficient
- Liberty HighB+ · 51% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 22742 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
22742 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 22742 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 22742
Is 22742 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 22742 ranks 7,832nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low crime, few empty homes, and clean air, 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 22742 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $459,368. The overall cost of living runs about 17% above the national average. Set against a $103,367 median income, cost of living beats 60% of zip codes.
Is 22742 safe?
Yes, 22742 is safer than 96% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $158 per resident a year.
Compare 22742 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 22742. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 22742 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.
22742 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 22742: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 22742: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 22742: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 22742: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
22742 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.