Best Places22980, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 22980, 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.
22980 ranks 10,712th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 22980
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.
22980's strengths and weaknesses
Where 22980 ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 78% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 77% of zip codes
- Short commute21.9 minutes each way, better than 76% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 22980 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 30% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 42% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 42% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 22980
A household needs to earn about $69,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 22980 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $72,626, 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 22980's effective rate of 0.61%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 22980
22980's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 22980.
Who works in 22980, and how
Work in 22980 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 22980
22980 has more parkland per resident than 78% of zip codes and more late-night spots per resident than 79% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 22980 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 22980, month by month
22980 sees roughly 82 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 22980
The nearest airport, Shenandoah Valley Regional, is about 13 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Richmond International, about 95 miles away.
The best schools in and around 22980
Schools across 22980 average a B, better than 70% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Cassell ElementaryA− · 57% proficient
- Wilson ElementaryB+ · 53% proficient
- Crozet ElementaryB+ · 53% proficient
Top middle schools
- Joseph T. Henley MiddleA+ · 84% proficient
- Stuarts Draft MiddleA · 64% proficient
- S. Gordon Stewart MiddleA · 61% proficient
Top high schools
- Western Albemarle HighA+ · 84% proficient
- Wilson Memorial HighA · 75% proficient
- Stuarts Draft HighA · 72% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 22980 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
22980 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 22980 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 22980 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 11% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 22980
Is 22980 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 22980 ranks 10,712th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, few empty homes, and civic engagement, and lowest on state finances and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 22980 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $271,400. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $72,626 median income, cost of living beats 53% of zip codes.
Is 22980 safe?
22980 is safer than 51% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $344 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 22980?
July highs average about 87 degrees, and January highs near 44 with lows near 24. That works out to about 82 pleasant days a year, more than 47% of zip codes.
Is 22980 good for families?
Schools beat 70% of zip codes, crime safety beats 51%, and childcare runs $810 a month.
Compare 22980 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 22980. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 22980 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.
22980 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 22980: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 22980: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 22980: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 22980: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
22980 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.