Best Places23188, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 23188, 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.
23188 ranks 2,041st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on civic engagement by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 23188
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.
23188's strengths and weaknesses
Where 23188 ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 96% of zip codes
- School gradeA, better than 93% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 91% of zip codes
Where 23188 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 70 pleasant days a year, better than only 24% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 28% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 23188
A household needs to earn about $119,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 23188 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $105,684, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 23188's effective rate of 0.64%, 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 23188
23188 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 23188.
Who works in 23188, and how
Work in 23188 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 76%
- Work from home 17%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 23188
The coast is about 22 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 23188, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 23188, month by month
23188 sees roughly 70 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 51, with lows near 33. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 41° | 33° |
| April | 73° | 61° | 51° |
| July | 92° | 81° | 73° |
| October | 76° | 65° | 57° |
Flying in and out of 23188
The nearest airport, Newport News/Williamsburg International, is about 19 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Richmond International, about 33 miles away.
The best schools in and around 23188
Schools across 23188 average an A, better than 93% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Waller Mill ElementaryA+ · 80% proficient
- Stonehouse ElementaryA+ · 74% proficient
- Matoaka ElementaryA+ · 73% proficient
Top middle schools
- Queens Lake MiddleA+ · 70% proficient
- Lois Hornsby MiddleA · 65% proficient
- Toano MiddleA · 65% proficient
Top high schools
- Jamestown HighA · 79% proficient
- New Kent HighA · 76% proficient
- Warhill HighA · 74% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 23188 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
23188 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 23188 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 23188 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 92% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 17% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 23188
Is 23188 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 23188 ranks 2,041st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on civic engagement, health care access, and good schools, and lowest on state finances and summer heat. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 23188 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $465,040. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $105,684 median income, cost of living beats 92% of zip codes.
Is 23188 safe?
Yes, 23188 is safer than 89% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $217 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 23188?
July highs average about 92 degrees, and January highs near 51 with lows near 33. That works out to about 70 pleasant days a year, more than 24% of zip codes.
Is 23188 good for families?
Schools beat 93% of zip codes, crime safety beats 89%, and childcare runs $947 a month.
Compare 23188 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 23188. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 23188 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.
23188 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 23188: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 23188: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 23188: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 23188: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
23188 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.