Best Places22840, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 22840, 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.
22840 ranks 4,812th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 22840
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.
22840's strengths and weaknesses
Where 22840 ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 89% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 84% of zip codes
Where 22840 ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 38% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 22840
A household needs to earn about $96,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 22840 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $91,370; 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 22840's effective rate of 0.58%, 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 22840
22840 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 22840.
Who works in 22840, and how
Work in 22840 centers on education and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 22840
22840 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 83% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 22840 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 22840, month by month
22840 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 22840
The nearest airport, Shenandoah Valley Regional, is about 12 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Washington Dulles International, about 79 miles away.
The best schools in and around 22840
Schools across 22840 average an A−, better than 84% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Peak View ElementaryA− · 57% proficient
- Mcgaheysville ElementaryB+ · 55% proficient
- Cub Run ElementaryB · 45% proficient
Top middle schools
- Montevideo MiddleA · 59% proficient
- Elkton MiddleB+ · 51% proficient
Top high schools
- Spotswood HighA · 74% proficient
- East Rockingham HighA · 72% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 22840 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
22840 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 22840 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 22840
Is 22840 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 22840 ranks 4,812th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, civic engagement, and an educated workforce, and lowest on an overheated housing market and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 22840 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $377,947. The overall cost of living runs about 7% below the national average. Set against a $91,370 median income, cost of living beats 79% of zip codes.
Is 22840 safe?
Yes, 22840 is safer than 70% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $258 per resident a year.
Compare 22840 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 22840. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 22840 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.
22840 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 22840: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 22840: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 22840: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 22840: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
22840 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.