Best PlacesIndian River, Chesapeake, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Indian River, Chesapeake, 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.
Indian River, Chesapeake ranks 3,481st of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and health outcomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Indian River, Chesapeake
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.
Indian River, Chesapeake's strengths and weaknesses
Where Indian River, Chesapeake ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- School gradeB+, better than 84% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than 84% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 84% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 80% of neighborhoods
Where Indian River, Chesapeake ranks low
- Health outlookBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 18% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 20% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 25% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Indian River, Chesapeake
A household needs to earn about $71,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Indian River, Chesapeake home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $74,107, 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 Indian River, Chesapeake's effective rate of 0.78%, 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 Indian River, Chesapeake
Indian River, Chesapeake runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Indian River, Chesapeake.
Who works in Indian River, Chesapeake, and how
Work in Indian River, Chesapeake centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in Indian River, Chesapeake
Indian River, Chesapeake has more parkland per resident than 73% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 12 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Indian River, Chesapeake and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Indian River, Chesapeake, month by month
Indian River, Chesapeake sees roughly 72 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 54, with lows near 33. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 43° | 33° |
| April | 74° | 61° | 50° |
| July | 92° | 82° | 73° |
| October | 76° | 65° | 56° |
Flying in and out of Indian River, Chesapeake
The nearest airport, Norfolk International, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Richmond International, about 76 miles away.
The best schools in and around Indian River, Chesapeake
Schools across Indian River, Chesapeake average a B+, better than 84% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Georgetown PrimaryA · 63% proficient
- Norfolk Highlands PrimaryB+ · 55% proficient
- Crestwood IntermediateB+ · 55% proficient
Top middle schools
- Kempsville MiddleA+ · 72% proficient
- Greenbrier MiddleA · 60% proficient
- Indian River MiddleB+ · 49% proficient
Top high schools
- Tallwood HighA · 79% proficient
- Indian River HighA · 68% proficient
- Oscar F. Smith HighA− · 67% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Indian River, Chesapeake school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Indian River, Chesapeake 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 Indian River, Chesapeake against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Indian River, Chesapeake suits
Common questions about living in Indian River, Chesapeake
Is Indian River, Chesapeake a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Indian River, Chesapeake ranks 3,481st of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, good schools, and few empty homes, and lowest on health outcomes and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Indian River, Chesapeake expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $271,957. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $74,107 median income, cost of living beats 59% of neighborhoods.
Is Indian River, Chesapeake safe?
Indian River, Chesapeake is safer than 25% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $674 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Indian River, Chesapeake?
July highs average about 92 degrees, and January highs near 54 with lows near 33. That works out to about 72 pleasant days a year, more than 28% of neighborhoods.
Is Indian River, Chesapeake good for families?
Schools beat 84% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 25%, and childcare runs $966 a month.
Compare Indian River, Chesapeake with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Indian River, Chesapeake. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Indian River, Chesapeake 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.
Indian River, Chesapeake detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Indian River, Chesapeake: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Indian River, Chesapeake: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Indian River, Chesapeake: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Indian River, Chesapeake: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Indian River, Chesapeake 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.