Best PlacesDowntown Norfolk, Norfolk, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk, 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.
Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk ranks 2,704th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and noise is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk
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.
Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk's strengths and weaknesses
Where Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 81% of neighborhoods
- School gradeB+, better than 79% of neighborhoods
Where Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 25% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk
A household needs to earn about $96,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $63,172, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk's effective rate of 0.98%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk
Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk 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 Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk.
Who works in Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk, and how
Work in Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk centers on hospitality & food and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 63%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 22%
Life in Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk
Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk has more restaurants and bars per resident than 95% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 7 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk, month by month
Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk sees roughly 76 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 54, with lows near 34. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 43° | 34° |
| April | 73° | 61° | 51° |
| July | 91° | 81° | 73° |
| October | 75° | 65° | 56° |
Flying in and out of Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk
The nearest airport, Norfolk International, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Richmond International, about 72 miles away.
The best schools in and around Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk
Schools across Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk average a B+, better than 79% of neighborhoods.
Top middle schools
- Academy For Discovery At LakewoodA · 63% proficient
- Blair MiddleB · 44% proficient
- William H. Ruffner MiddleD− · 17% proficient
Top high schools
- Matthew Fontaine Maury HighA− · 61% proficient
- Booker T Washington HighB− · 40% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk 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 Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk
Is Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk ranks 2,704th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, walkability, and biking, and lowest on noise and crime. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $358,019. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $63,172 median income, cost of living beats 52% of neighborhoods.
Is Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk safe?
Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk is safer than 10% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $997 per resident a year.
Compare Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk 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.
Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk 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.