Best Places24534, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 24534, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
24534 ranks 27,220th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and low incomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 24534
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.
24534's strengths and weaknesses
Where 24534 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$537 a month, better than 92% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 84% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 77% of zip codes
Where 24534 ranks low
- Household income$43,729 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 12% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 24534
A household needs to earn about $25,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 24534 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $43,729, 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 24534's effective rate of 0.62%, 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 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 24534
24534 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 24534.
Who works in 24534, and how
Work in 24534 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 24534
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 24534.
What the weather is like in 24534, month by month
24534 sees roughly 77 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 48, with lows near 30. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 38° | 30° |
| April | 70° | 58° | 47° |
| July | 87° | 76° | 68° |
| October | 71° | 59° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 24534
The nearest airport, Lynchburg Regional/Preston Glenn Field, is about 40 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Raleigh-Durham International, about 67 miles away.
The best schools in and around 24534
Schools across 24534 average a B, better than 61% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Phenix ElementaryA− · 60% proficient
- Clays Mill ElementaryB+ · 52% proficient
- Scottsburg ElementaryC+ · 35% proficient
Top middle schools
- Central MiddleA− · 54% proficient
- Halifax County MiddleB · 43% proficient
Top high schools
- Randolph-henry HighA− · 62% proficient
- Halifax County HighB+ · 51% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 24534 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
24534 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 24534 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 24534
Is 24534 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 24534 ranks 27,220th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, tree cover, and a stable housing market, and lowest on low incomes and health outcomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 24534 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $98,794. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $43,729 median income, cost of living beats 7% of zip codes.
Is 24534 safe?
24534 is safer than 54% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $304 per resident a year.
Compare 24534 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 24534. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 24534 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.
24534 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 24534: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 24534: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 24534: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 24534: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
24534 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.