Best Places23898, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 23898, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
23898 ranks 12,297th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on good schools by a wide margin, and walkability ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 23898
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.
23898's strengths and weaknesses
Where 23898 ranks high
- School gradeA, better than 92% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 78% of zip codes
Where 23898 ranks low
- WalkabilityBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 62 pleasant days a year, better than only 12% of zip codes
- Short commute33.6 minutes each way, better than only 14% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 17% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 23898
A household needs to earn about $75,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 23898 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $77,048, 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 23898's effective rate of 0.72%, 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 23898
23898 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 23898.
Who works in 23898, and how
Work in 23898 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 23898
The coast is about 49 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 23898, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 23898, month by month
23898 sees roughly 62 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 53, 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 | 53° | 40° | 28° |
| April | 74° | 59° | 46° |
| July | 90° | 79° | 69° |
| October | 76° | 61° | 49° |
Flying in and out of 23898
The nearest airport, Newport News/Williamsburg International, is about 28 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Richmond International, about 53 miles away.
The best schools in and around 23898
Schools across 23898 average an A, better than 92% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Carrsville ElementaryA · 72% proficient
- Windsor ElementaryA · 70% proficient
- Nottoway ElementaryA · 63% proficient
Top middle schools
- Georgie D. Tyler MiddleA · 65% proficient
Top high schools
- Windsor HighA · 72% proficient
- Franklin HighB+ · 58% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 23898 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
23898 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 23898 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 23898
Is 23898 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 23898 ranks 12,297th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on good schools, cheap car insurance, and a strong job market, and lowest on walkability and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 23898 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $290,692. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $77,048 median income, cost of living beats 58% of zip codes.
Is 23898 safe?
Yes, 23898 is safer than 74% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $245 per resident a year.
Compare 23898 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 23898. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 23898 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.
23898 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 23898: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 23898: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 23898: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 23898: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
23898 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.