Best PlacesGhent, Norfolk, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Ghent, Norfolk, 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.
Ghent, Norfolk ranks 1,174th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Ghent, 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.
Ghent, Norfolk's strengths and weaknesses
Where Ghent, Norfolk ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Short commute17.7 minutes each way, better than 91% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
Where Ghent, Norfolk ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 26% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 27% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 31% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Ghent, Norfolk
A household needs to earn about $130,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Ghent, Norfolk home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $81,548, 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 Ghent, Norfolk's effective rate of 0.92%, 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 Ghent, Norfolk
Ghent, Norfolk's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 Ghent, Norfolk.
Who works in Ghent, Norfolk, and how
Work in Ghent, Norfolk centers on education and professional & technical. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 71%
- Work from home 17%
- Transit, walk, or bike 12%
Life in Ghent, Norfolk
Ghent, Norfolk has more restaurants and bars per resident than 92% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 8 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Ghent, Norfolk and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Ghent, Norfolk, month by month
Ghent, 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 Ghent, 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 Ghent, Norfolk
Schools across Ghent, Norfolk average an A−, better than 85% of neighborhoods.
Top middle schools
- Academy For Discovery At LakewoodA · 63% proficient
- Blair MiddleB · 44% proficient
Top high schools
- Matthew Fontaine Maury HighA− · 61% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Ghent, Norfolk school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Ghent, 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 Ghent, Norfolk against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Ghent, Norfolk
Is Ghent, Norfolk a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Ghent, Norfolk ranks 1,174th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, biking, and short commutes, and lowest on internet speeds and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Ghent, Norfolk expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $489,532. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $81,548 median income, cost of living beats 81% of neighborhoods.
Is Ghent, Norfolk safe?
Ghent, Norfolk is safer than 26% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $677 per resident a year.
Compare Ghent, Norfolk with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Ghent, Norfolk. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Ghent, 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.
Ghent, Norfolk detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Ghent, Norfolk: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Ghent, Norfolk: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Ghent, Norfolk: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Ghent, Norfolk: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Ghent, 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.