Best PlacesColumbia Heghts, Arlington, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Columbia Heghts, Arlington, 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.
Columbia Heghts, Arlington ranks 243rd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on population health by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Columbia Heghts, Arlington
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.
Columbia Heghts, Arlington's strengths and weaknesses
Where Columbia Heghts, Arlington ranks high
- Health outlookBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- School gradeA, better than 93% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
Where Columbia Heghts, Arlington ranks low
- Cheap childcare$2,495 a month, better than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 9% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 64 pleasant days a year, better than only 13% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 34% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Columbia Heghts, Arlington
A household needs to earn about $112,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Columbia Heghts, Arlington home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $123,245, 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 Columbia Heghts, Arlington's effective rate of 0.96%, 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 Columbia Heghts, Arlington
Columbia Heghts, Arlington 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 Columbia Heghts, Arlington.
Who works in Columbia Heghts, Arlington, and how
Work in Columbia Heghts, Arlington centers on professional & technical and public administration. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 51%
- Work from home 31%
- Transit, walk, or bike 18%
Life in Columbia Heghts, Arlington
The coast is about 21 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across Columbia Heghts, Arlington, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Columbia Heghts, Arlington, month by month
Columbia Heghts, Arlington sees roughly 64 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 49, with lows near 30. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 38° | 30° |
| April | 72° | 59° | 48° |
| July | 92° | 81° | 73° |
| October | 74° | 63° | 53° |
Flying in and out of Columbia Heghts, Arlington
Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl sits about 2 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 12.0 million passengers in 2025, with 128 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Columbia Heghts, Arlington
Schools across Columbia Heghts, Arlington average an A, better than 93% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Claremont ImmersionA− · 61% proficient
- Campbell ElementaryA− · 57% proficient
Top middle schools
- Gunston MiddleA · 65% proficient
- Jefferson MiddleA · 62% proficient
Top high schools
- Arlington Community HighA · 68% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Columbia Heghts, Arlington school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Columbia Heghts, Arlington 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 Columbia Heghts, Arlington against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Columbia Heghts, Arlington
Is Columbia Heghts, Arlington a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Columbia Heghts, Arlington ranks 243rd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on population health, good schools, and quiet, and lowest on childcare costs and a weak job market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Columbia Heghts, Arlington expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $418,662. The overall cost of living runs about 29% above the national average. Set against a $123,245 median income, cost of living beats 73% of neighborhoods.
Is Columbia Heghts, Arlington safe?
Yes, Columbia Heghts, Arlington is safer than 87% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $269 per resident a year.
Compare Columbia Heghts, Arlington with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Columbia Heghts, Arlington. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Columbia Heghts, Arlington 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.
Columbia Heghts, Arlington detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Columbia Heghts, Arlington: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Columbia Heghts, Arlington: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Columbia Heghts, Arlington: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Columbia Heghts, Arlington: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Columbia Heghts, Arlington 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.