Best Places22946, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 22946, 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.
22946 ranks 5,325th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and walkability ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 22946
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.
22946's strengths and weaknesses
Where 22946 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 85% of zip codes
Where 22946 ranks low
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,158 a month, better than only 21% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 22946
A household needs to earn about $69,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 22946 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $105,000, 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 22946's effective rate of 0.73%, 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 22946
22946 runs older than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 22946.
Who works in 22946, and how
Work in 22946 centers on hospitality & food and retail trade. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 22946
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 22946.
What the weather is like in 22946, month by month
22946 sees roughly 114 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 30. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 36° | 30° |
| April | 68° | 57° | 48° |
| July | 85° | 77° | 69° |
| October | 69° | 60° | 53° |
Flying in and out of 22946
The nearest airport, Charlottesville-Albemarle, is about 21 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Richmond International, about 72 miles away.
The best schools in and around 22946
Schools across 22946 average an A−, better than 84% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Scottsville ElementaryB− · 44% proficient
Top middle schools
- Leslie H. Walton MiddleA+ · 70% proficient
Top high schools
- Monticello HighA− · 64% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 22946 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
22946 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 22946 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 22946
Is 22946 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 22946 ranks 5,325th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, tree cover, and heat safety, and lowest on walkability and cell coverage. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 22946 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $268,000. The overall cost of living runs about 3% above the national average. Set against a $105,000 median income, cost of living beats 76% of zip codes.
Is 22946 safe?
22946 is safer than 24% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $433 per resident a year.
Compare 22946 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 22946. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 22946 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.
22946 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 22946: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 22946: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 22946: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 22946: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
22946 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.