Best Places24502, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 24502, 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.
24502 ranks 11,538th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and noise is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 24502
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.
24502's strengths and weaknesses
Where 24502 ranks high
- Short commute17.0 minutes each way, better than 94% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$598 a month, better than 85% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 24502 ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 66 pleasant days a year, better than only 18% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 23% of zip codes
- Household income$64,322 median, better than only 32% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 24502
A household needs to earn about $60,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 24502 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $64,322, 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 24502's effective rate of 0.78%, 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 24502
24502 runs younger 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 24502.
Who works in 24502, and how
Work in 24502 centers on education and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 76%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 9%
Life in 24502
24502 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 79% of zip codes and more late-night spots per resident than 92% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 24502 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 24502, month by month
24502 sees roughly 66 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 50, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 37° | 26° |
| April | 74° | 58° | 44° |
| July | 91° | 78° | 66° |
| October | 74° | 60° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 24502
The nearest airport, Lynchburg Regional/Preston Glenn Field, is about 2 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Richmond International, about 104 miles away.
The best schools in and around 24502
Schools across 24502 average a B, better than 71% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Boonsboro ElementaryA+ · 75% proficient
- Thomas Jefferson ElementaryA+ · 73% proficient
- Leesville Road ElementaryA · 67% proficient
Top middle schools
- Forest MiddleA+ · 76% proficient
- Brookville MiddleA− · 56% proficient
- Rustburg MiddleA− · 55% proficient
Top high schools
- Brookville HighA · 73% proficient
- Rustburg HighA · 70% proficient
- Jefferson Forest HighA · 70% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 24502 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
24502 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 24502 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 24502 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 15% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 24502
Is 24502 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 24502 ranks 11,538th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on short commutes, cheap car insurance, and low disaster risk, 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 24502 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $231,845. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $64,322 median income, cost of living beats 37% of zip codes.
Is 24502 safe?
24502 is safer than 48% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $363 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 24502?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 50 with lows near 26. That works out to about 66 pleasant days a year, more than 18% of zip codes.
Is 24502 good for families?
Schools beat 71% of zip codes, crime safety beats 48%, and childcare runs $598 a month.
Compare 24502 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 24502. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 24502 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.
24502 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 24502: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 24502: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 24502: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 24502: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
24502 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.