Best PlacesJefferson, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Jefferson, 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.
Jefferson ranks 1,145th of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Jefferson
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.
Jefferson's strengths and weaknesses
Where Jefferson ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of towns
- Voter turnoutBetter than 97% of towns
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 96% of towns
- Local economyBetter than 94% of towns
- Household income$118,904 median, better than 93% of towns
Where Jefferson ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of towns
- WalkabilityBetter than only 19% of towns
- Short commute31.0 minutes each way, better than only 28% of towns
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 39% of towns
- Nice weatherabout 77 pleasant days a year, better than only 40% of towns
What it costs to buy a home in Jefferson
A household needs to earn about $116,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Jefferson home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $118,904, 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 Jefferson's effective rate of 0.49%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in Jefferson
Jefferson runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Jefferson.
Who works in Jefferson, and how
Work in Jefferson centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 76%
- Work from home 22%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in Jefferson
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Jefferson.
What the weather is like in Jefferson, month by month
Jefferson sees roughly 77 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 51, with lows near 27. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 38° | 27° |
| April | 72° | 58° | 46° |
| July | 90° | 78° | 69° |
| October | 74° | 60° | 49° |
Flying in and out of Jefferson
Richmond International sits about 33 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 2.5 million passengers in 2025, with 72 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Jefferson
Schools across Jefferson average an A, better than 91% of towns.
Top elementary schools
- Powhatan ElementaryA+ · 76% proficient
- Goochland ElementaryA · 72% proficient
- Pocahontas ElementaryA · 63% proficient
Top middle schools
- Goochland MiddleA · 61% proficient
- Powhatan MiddleB+ · 49% proficient
Top high schools
- Powhatan HighA · 73% proficient
- Goochland HighA · 71% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Jefferson school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Jefferson 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 Jefferson against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in Jefferson
Is Jefferson a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Jefferson ranks 1,145th of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on few empty homes, civic engagement, and what local pay buys, and lowest on state finances and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Jefferson expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $462,837. The overall cost of living runs about 9% below the national average. Set against a $118,904 median income, cost of living beats 96% of towns.
Is Jefferson safe?
Yes, Jefferson is safer than 84% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $204 per resident a year.
Compare Jefferson with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Jefferson. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Jefferson 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.
Jefferson detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Jefferson: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Jefferson: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Jefferson: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Jefferson: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Jefferson 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.