Best Places23321, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 23321, 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.
23321 ranks 4,447th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on what local pay buys by a wide margin, and noise is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 23321
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.
23321's strengths and weaknesses
Where 23321 ranks high
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 90% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Household income$109,050 median, better than 85% of zip codes
Where 23321 ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$964 a month, better than only 36% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 23321
A household needs to earn about $97,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 23321 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $109,050, 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 23321's effective rate of 0.76%, 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 23321
23321'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 23321.
Who works in 23321, and how
Work in 23321 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 23321
23321 has more parkland per resident than 76% of zip codes and more late-night spots per resident than 74% of zip codes. The coast is about 18 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 23321 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 23321, month by month
23321 sees roughly 88 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 54, 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 | 54° | 40° | 28° |
| April | 75° | 60° | 46° |
| July | 91° | 79° | 67° |
| October | 75° | 61° | 48° |
Flying in and out of 23321
The nearest airport, Norfolk International, is about 13 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Richmond International, about 68 miles away.
The best schools in and around 23321
Schools across 23321 average an A−, better than 90% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Edwin W. Chittum ElementaryA+ · 78% proficient
- Western Branch IntermediateA · 65% proficient
- Creekside ElementaryB+ · 52% proficient
Top middle schools
- John Yeates MiddleA+ · 71% proficient
- Western Branch MiddleA+ · 69% proficient
- Churchland MiddleA · 61% proficient
Top high schools
- Western Branch HighA · 77% proficient
- Nansemond River HighA− · 66% proficient
- Churchland HighA− · 66% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 23321 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
23321 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 23321 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 23321 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 92% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 16% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 23321
Is 23321 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 23321 ranks 4,447th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on what local pay buys, few empty homes, and good schools, and lowest on noise and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 23321 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $372,615. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $109,050 median income, cost of living beats 92% of zip codes.
Is 23321 safe?
23321 is safer than 24% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $453 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 23321?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 54 with lows near 28. That works out to about 88 pleasant days a year, more than 53% of zip codes.
Is 23321 good for families?
Schools beat 90% of zip codes, crime safety beats 24%, and childcare runs $964 a month.
Compare 23321 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 23321. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 23321 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.
23321 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 23321: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 23321: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 23321: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 23321: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
23321 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.