Best Places22831, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 22831, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
22831 ranks 19,492nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and education levels rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 22831
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.
22831's strengths and weaknesses
Where 22831 ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 92% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 88% of zip codes
- School gradeB+, better than 83% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 80% of zip codes
Where 22831 ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Household income$48,303 median, better than only 9% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 22831
A household needs to earn about $63,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 22831 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $48,303, 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 22831's effective rate of 0.54%, 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 22831
22831'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 22831.
Who works in 22831, and how
Work in 22831 centers on manufacturing and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 22831
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 22831.
What the weather is like in 22831, month by month
22831 sees roughly 80 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 44, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 34° | 24° |
| April | 68° | 54° | 42° |
| July | 87° | 75° | 64° |
| October | 70° | 56° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 22831
The nearest airport, Shenandoah Valley Regional, is about 18 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Washington Dulles International, about 90 miles away.
The best schools in and around 22831
Schools across 22831 average a B+, better than 83% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Mountain View ElementaryB− · 43% proficient
- Ottobine ElementaryC · 32% proficient
- Fulks Run ElementaryD+ · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- Wilbur S. Pence MiddleA− · 56% proficient
- J. Frank Hillyard MiddleA− · 55% proficient
Top high schools
- Turner Ashby HighA · 77% proficient
- Broadway HighA · 72% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 22831 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
22831 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 22831 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 22831
Is 22831 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 22831 ranks 19,492nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, tree cover, and quiet, and lowest on education levels and biking. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 22831 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $249,840. The overall cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. Set against a $48,303 median income, cost of living beats 9% of zip codes.
Is 22831 safe?
22831 is safer than 48% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $326 per resident a year.
Compare 22831 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 22831. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 22831 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.
22831 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 22831: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 22831: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 22831: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 22831: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
22831 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.