Best Places23168, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 23168, 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.
23168 ranks 936th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 23168
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.
23168's strengths and weaknesses
Where 23168 ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 95% of zip codes
- School gradeA, better than 94% of zip codes
Where 23168 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 26% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 72 pleasant days a year, better than only 28% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 30% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 23168
A household needs to earn about $106,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 23168 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $127,322, 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 23168'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, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 23168
23168 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 23168.
Who works in 23168, and how
Work in 23168 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 73%
- Work from home 17%
- Transit, walk, or bike 10%
Life in 23168
The coast is about 27 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 23168, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 23168, month by month
23168 sees roughly 72 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 49, with lows near 29. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 39° | 29° |
| April | 71° | 58° | 47° |
| July | 89° | 79° | 70° |
| October | 72° | 61° | 51° |
Flying in and out of 23168
The nearest airport, Newport News/Williamsburg International, is about 26 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Richmond International, about 29 miles away.
The best schools in and around 23168
Schools across 23168 average an A, better than 94% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Stonehouse ElementaryA+ · 74% proficient
- J. Blaine Blayton ElementaryA · 67% proficient
- Norge ElementaryB+ · 55% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lois Hornsby MiddleA · 65% proficient
- Toano MiddleA · 65% proficient
Top high schools
- New Kent HighA · 76% proficient
- Warhill HighA · 74% proficient
- Lafayette HighA · 73% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 23168 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
23168 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 23168 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 23168
Is 23168 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 23168 ranks 936th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low crime, what local pay buys, and few empty homes, 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 23168 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $421,032. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $127,322 median income, cost of living beats 97% of zip codes.
Is 23168 safe?
Yes, 23168 is safer than 97% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $159 per resident a year.
Compare 23168 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 23168. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 23168 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.
23168 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 23168: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 23168: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 23168: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 23168: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
23168 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.