Best Places24073, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 24073, 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.
24073 ranks 5,678th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and noise is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 24073
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.
24073's strengths and weaknesses
Where 24073 ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Short commute19.2 minutes each way, better than 88% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 85% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 85% of zip codes
Where 24073 ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 36% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 42% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 46% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 24073
A household needs to earn about $66,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 24073 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $83,230, 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 24073'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 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 24073
24073's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 24073.
Who works in 24073, and how
Work in 24073 centers on education and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 24073
24073 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 65% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 82% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 24073 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 24073, month by month
24073 sees roughly 83 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 46, with lows near 25. The comfortable stretch runs April through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 34° | 25° |
| April | 70° | 55° | 42° |
| July | 86° | 74° | 64° |
| October | 70° | 57° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 24073
The nearest airport, Roanoke/Blacksburg Regional (Woodrum Field), is about 28 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Raleigh-Durham International, about 126 miles away.
The best schools in and around 24073
Schools across 24073 average an A−, better than 85% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Margaret Beeks ElementaryA · 72% proficient
- Prices Fork ElementaryA− · 62% proficient
- Falling Branch ElementaryA− · 60% proficient
Top middle schools
- Blacksburg MiddleA+ · 69% proficient
- Auburn MiddleA− · 53% proficient
- Christiansburg MiddleB+ · 52% proficient
Top high schools
- Blacksburg HighA+ · 84% proficient
- Christiansburg HighA · 73% proficient
- Eastern Montgomery HighA− · 67% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 24073 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
24073 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 24073 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 24073 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 73% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 12% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 24073
Is 24073 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 24073 ranks 5,678th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low disaster risk, cheap car insurance, and short commutes, 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 24073 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $255,454. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $83,230 median income, cost of living beats 73% of zip codes.
Is 24073 safe?
Yes, 24073 is safer than 63% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $289 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 24073?
July highs average about 86 degrees, and January highs near 46 with lows near 25. That works out to about 83 pleasant days a year, more than 48% of zip codes.
Is 24073 good for families?
Schools beat 85% of zip codes, crime safety beats 63%, and childcare runs $845 a month.
Compare 24073 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 24073. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 24073 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.
24073 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 24073: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 24073: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 24073: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 24073: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
24073 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.