Best Places23881, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 23881, 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.
23881 ranks 15,100th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on tree cover by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 23881
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.
23881's strengths and weaknesses
Where 23881 ranks high
- Tree shadeBetter than 95% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 86% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 23881 ranks low
- Short commute40.9 minutes each way, better than only 3% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 23881
A household needs to earn about $64,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 23881 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $84,365, 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 23881's effective rate of 0.68%, 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 23881
23881 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 23881.
Who works in 23881, and how
Work in 23881 centers on health care & social and other services. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 91%
- Work from home 3%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 23881
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 23881.
What the weather is like in 23881, month by month
23881 sees roughly 72 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 53, 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 | 53° | 40° | 29° |
| April | 74° | 60° | 46° |
| July | 92° | 79° | 70° |
| October | 76° | 62° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 23881
The nearest airport, Newport News/Williamsburg International, is about 27 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Richmond International, about 30 miles away.
The best schools in and around 23881
Schools across 23881 average an A−, better than 86% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- David A. Harrison ElementaryA · 66% proficient
- North ElementaryA− · 62% proficient
- Surry ElementaryB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- J.e.j. Moore MiddleA · 63% proficient
- Luther P. Jackson MiddleA− · 53% proficient
Top high schools
- Surry County HighA · 78% proficient
- Prince George HighA · 75% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 23881 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
23881 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 23881 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 23881
Is 23881 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 23881 ranks 15,100th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on tree cover, quiet, and a strong job market, and lowest on long commutes and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 23881 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $250,873. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $84,365 median income, cost of living beats 71% of zip codes.
Is 23881 safe?
23881 is safer than 25% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $450 per resident a year.
Compare 23881 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 23881. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 23881 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.
23881 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 23881: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 23881: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 23881: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 23881: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
23881 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.