Best PlacesHighland Park, Norfolk, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Highland Park, 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.
Highland Park, Norfolk ranks 3,562nd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and low incomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Highland Park, 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.
Highland Park, Norfolk's strengths and weaknesses
Where Highland Park, Norfolk ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
Where Highland Park, Norfolk ranks low
- Household income$43,318 median, better than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
- Short commute32.0 minutes each way, better than only 12% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Highland Park, Norfolk
A household needs to earn about $79,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Highland Park, Norfolk home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $43,318, 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 Highland Park, Norfolk's effective rate of 0.39%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Highland Park, Norfolk
Highland Park, 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 Highland Park, Norfolk.
Who works in Highland Park, Norfolk, and how
Work in Highland Park, Norfolk centers on education and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 61%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 31%
Life in Highland Park, Norfolk
Highland Park, Norfolk has more restaurants and bars per resident than 84% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 7 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Highland Park, Norfolk and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Highland Park, Norfolk, month by month
Highland Park, 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 Highland Park, Norfolk
The nearest airport, Norfolk International, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Richmond International, about 71 miles away.
The best schools in and around Highland Park, Norfolk
Schools across Highland Park, 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 Highland Park, Norfolk school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Highland Park, 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 Highland Park, Norfolk against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Highland Park, Norfolk
Is Highland Park, Norfolk a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Highland Park, Norfolk ranks 3,562nd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low property taxes, biking, and a strong job market, and lowest on low incomes and the cost of living against local pay. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Highland Park, Norfolk expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $319,708. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $43,318 median income, cost of living beats 6% of neighborhoods.
Is Highland Park, Norfolk safe?
Highland Park, Norfolk is safer than 38% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $573 per resident a year.
Compare Highland Park, Norfolk with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Highland Park, Norfolk. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Highland Park, 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.
Highland Park, Norfolk detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Highland Park, Norfolk: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Highland Park, Norfolk: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Highland Park, Norfolk: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Highland Park, Norfolk: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Highland Park, 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.