Best Places24574, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 24574, 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.
24574 ranks 14,593rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on tree cover by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 24574
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.
24574's strengths and weaknesses
Where 24574 ranks high
- Tree shadeBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$558 a month, better than 90% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 24574 ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 68 pleasant days a year, better than only 20% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 30% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 24574
A household needs to earn about $57,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 24574 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $71,100, 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 24574's effective rate of 0.49%, 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 24574
24574 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 24574.
Who works in 24574, and how
Work in 24574 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 24574
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 24574.
What the weather is like in 24574, month by month
24574 sees roughly 68 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 24574
The nearest airport, Lynchburg Regional/Preston Glenn Field, is about 15 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Richmond International, about 103 miles away.
The best schools in and around 24574
Schools across 24574 average a B+, better than 74% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Boonsboro ElementaryA+ · 75% proficient
- Big Island ElementaryA · 70% proficient
- Amherst ElementaryA− · 57% proficient
Top middle schools
- Forest MiddleA+ · 76% proficient
- Liberty MiddleA− · 55% proficient
- Amherst MiddleB+ · 50% proficient
Top high schools
- Jefferson Forest HighA · 70% proficient
- Amherst County HighA− · 63% proficient
- E.c. Glass HighA− · 60% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 24574 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
24574 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 24574 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 24574
Is 24574 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 24574 ranks 14,593rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on tree cover, cheap car insurance, and affordable childcare, and lowest on cell coverage and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 24574 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $228,421. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $71,100 median income, cost of living beats 48% of zip codes.
Is 24574 safe?
Yes, 24574 is safer than 61% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $282 per resident a year.
Compare 24574 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 24574. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 24574 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.
24574 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 24574: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 24574: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 24574: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 24574: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
24574 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.