Best PlacesCaroline County, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Caroline County, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Caroline County ranks 879th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on big-city access by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Caroline County
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.
Caroline County's strengths and weaknesses
Where Caroline County ranks high
- Big-city accessBetter than 93% of counties
- Household income$88,842 median, better than 86% of counties
- Low vacancyBetter than 86% of counties
- Tree shadeBetter than 85% of counties
- Local economyBetter than 83% of counties
Where Caroline County ranks low
- Short commute37.2 minutes each way, better than only 2% of counties
- WalkabilityBetter than only 4% of counties
- BikingBetter than only 12% of counties
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 15% of counties
- Nice weatherabout 67 pleasant days a year, better than only 15% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in Caroline County
A household needs to earn about $78,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Caroline County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $88,842, 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 Caroline County's effective rate of 0.52%, 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 Caroline County
Caroline County's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Caroline County.
Who works in Caroline County, and how
Work in Caroline County centers on retail trade and public administration. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in Caroline County
Caroline County has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most counties. The coast is about 40 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Caroline County and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is Caroline County growing, and who is moving in?
Caroline County has grown about 13% over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from Washington, DC.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Caroline County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in Caroline County, month by month
Caroline County sees roughly 67 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 48, with lows near 29. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 38° | 29° |
| April | 71° | 59° | 48° |
| July | 90° | 80° | 71° |
| October | 72° | 60° | 51° |
Flying in and out of Caroline County
Richmond International sits about 35 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 2.5 million passengers in 2025, with 72 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Caroline County
Schools across Caroline County average a B+, better than 81% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Rural Point ElementaryA+ · 87% proficient
- Kersey Creek ElementaryA+ · 82% proficient
- Beaverdam ElementaryA− · 62% proficient
Top middle schools
- Oak Knoll MiddleA+ · 84% proficient
- Liberty MiddleA+ · 70% proficient
- Caroline MiddleB+ · 51% proficient
Top high schools
- Hanover HighA+ · 85% proficient
- Patrick Henry HighA · 77% proficient
- Caroline HighA− · 60% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Caroline County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Caroline County 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 Caroline County against the other 3,143 counties.
Who Caroline County suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 81% of counties and 12% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Caroline County
Is Caroline County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Caroline County ranks 879th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on big-city access, high incomes, and few empty homes, and lowest on long commutes and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Caroline County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $311,479. The overall cost of living runs about 6% below the national average. Set against a $88,842 median income, cost of living beats 81% of counties.
Is Caroline County safe?
Yes, Caroline County is safer than 60% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $323 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Caroline County?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 48 with lows near 29. That works out to about 67 pleasant days a year, more than 15% of counties.
Is Caroline County good for families?
Schools beat 81% of counties, crime safety beats 60%, and childcare runs $888 a month.
Compare Caroline County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Caroline County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Caroline County 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.
Caroline County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Caroline County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Caroline County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Caroline County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Caroline County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Caroline County 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- 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.