Best Places24018, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 24018, 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.
24018 ranks 1,822nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on good schools by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 24018
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.
24018's strengths and weaknesses
Where 24018 ranks high
- School gradeA+, better than 98% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 90% of zip codes
Where 24018 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 66 pleasant days a year, better than only 18% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 31% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$964 a month, better than only 36% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 39% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 24018
A household needs to earn about $88,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 24018 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $93,994, 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 24018's effective rate of 0.74%, 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 24018
24018 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 24018.
Who works in 24018, and how
Work in 24018 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 24018
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 24018.
What the weather is like in 24018, month by month
24018 sees roughly 66 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 49, 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 | 49° | 38° | 28° |
| April | 74° | 59° | 46° |
| July | 91° | 79° | 68° |
| October | 74° | 61° | 49° |
Flying in and out of 24018
The nearest airport, Roanoke/Blacksburg Regional (Woodrum Field), is about 7 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Raleigh-Durham International, about 116 miles away.
The best schools in and around 24018
Schools across 24018 average an A+, better than 98% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Penn Forest ElementaryA+ · 80% proficient
- Grandin Court ElementaryA+ · 80% proficient
- Crystal Spring ElementaryA+ · 78% proficient
Top middle schools
- Hidden Valley MiddleA+ · 80% proficient
- Cave Spring MiddleA+ · 78% proficient
- Glenvar MiddleA+ · 72% proficient
Top high schools
- Hidden Valley HighA+ · 87% proficient
- Cave Spring HighA+ · 86% proficient
- Glenvar HighA+ · 85% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 24018 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
24018 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 24018 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 24018 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 88% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 16% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 24018
Is 24018 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 24018 ranks 1,822nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on good schools, health care access, and civic engagement, and lowest on state finances and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 24018 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $340,720. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $93,994 median income, cost of living beats 88% of zip codes.
Is 24018 safe?
Yes, 24018 is safer than 80% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $234 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 24018?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 49 with lows near 28. That works out to about 66 pleasant days a year, more than 18% of zip codes.
Is 24018 good for families?
Schools beat 98% of zip codes, crime safety beats 80%, and childcare runs $964 a month.
Compare 24018 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 24018. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 24018 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.
24018 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 24018: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 24018: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 24018: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 24018: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
24018 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.