Best Places23116, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 23116, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
23116 ranks 351st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on good schools by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 23116
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.
23116's strengths and weaknesses
Where 23116 ranks high
- School gradeA+, better than 99% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Household income$139,806 median, better than 94% of zip codes
Where 23116 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 62 pleasant days a year, better than only 11% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 28% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,015 a month, better than only 32% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 23116
A household needs to earn about $111,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 23116 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $139,806, 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 23116's effective rate of 0.65%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 23116
23116'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 23116.
Who works in 23116, and how
Work in 23116 centers on health care & social and professional & technical. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 77%
- Work from home 21%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 23116
23116 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes. The coast is about 50 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 23116 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 23116, month by month
23116 sees roughly 62 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 51, with lows near 28. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 39° | 28° |
| April | 74° | 59° | 46° |
| July | 92° | 80° | 69° |
| October | 75° | 61° | 49° |
Flying in and out of 23116
Richmond International sits about 12 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 2.5 million passengers in 2025, with 72 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 23116
Schools across 23116 average an A+, better than 99% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Rural Point ElementaryA+ · 87% proficient
- Pole Green ElementaryA+ · 85% proficient
- Kersey Creek ElementaryA+ · 82% proficient
Top middle schools
- Chickahominy MiddleA+ · 85% proficient
- Oak Knoll MiddleA+ · 84% proficient
- Bell Creek MiddleA+ · 74% proficient
Top high schools
- Atlee HighA+ · 88% proficient
- Hanover HighA+ · 85% proficient
- Mechanicsville HighA · 79% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 23116 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
23116 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 23116 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 23116 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 98% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 21% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 23116
Is 23116 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 23116 ranks 351st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on good schools, what local pay buys, and civic engagement, and lowest on the weather and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 23116 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $432,831. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $139,806 median income, cost of living beats 98% of zip codes.
Is 23116 safe?
Yes, 23116 is safer than 77% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $240 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 23116?
July highs average about 92 degrees, and January highs near 51 with lows near 28. That works out to about 62 pleasant days a year, more than 11% of zip codes.
Is 23116 good for families?
Schools beat 99% of zip codes, crime safety beats 77%, and childcare runs $1,015 a month.
Compare 23116 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 23116. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 23116 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.
23116 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 23116: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 23116: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 23116: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 23116: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
23116 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.