Best PlacesNorthwest, Virginia Beach, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Northwest, Virginia Beach, 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.
Northwest, Virginia Beach ranks 2,142nd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Northwest, Virginia Beach
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.
Northwest, Virginia Beach's strengths and weaknesses
Where Northwest, Virginia Beach ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- School gradeA−, better than 89% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 78% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 71% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 70% of neighborhoods
Where Northwest, Virginia Beach ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 20% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 26% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 72 pleasant days a year, better than only 28% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 28% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Northwest, Virginia Beach
A household needs to earn about $94,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Northwest, Virginia Beach home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $83,282, 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 Northwest, Virginia Beach's effective rate of 0.76%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Northwest, Virginia Beach
Northwest, Virginia Beach'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 Northwest, Virginia Beach.
Who works in Northwest, Virginia Beach, and how
Work in Northwest, Virginia Beach centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in Northwest, Virginia Beach
Northwest, Virginia Beach has more parkland per resident than 72% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 6 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Northwest, Virginia Beach and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Northwest, Virginia Beach, month by month
Northwest, Virginia Beach 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 Northwest, Virginia Beach
The nearest airport, Norfolk International, is about 3 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Richmond International, about 78 miles away.
The best schools in and around Northwest, Virginia Beach
Schools across Northwest, Virginia Beach average an A−, better than 89% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Pembroke Meadows ElementaryA · 70% proficient
- Pembroke ElementaryA · 66% proficient
- Shelton Park ElementaryA− · 57% proficient
Top middle schools
- Old Donation SchoolA+ · 100% proficient
- Great Neck MiddleA+ · 85% proficient
- Independence MiddleA+ · 72% proficient
Top high schools
- Frank W. Cox HighA+ · 83% proficient
- Princess Anne HighA+ · 82% proficient
- Kempsville HighA · 74% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Northwest, Virginia Beach school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Northwest, Virginia Beach 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 Northwest, Virginia Beach against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Northwest, Virginia Beach suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 71% of neighborhoods and 14% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Northwest, Virginia Beach
Is Northwest, Virginia Beach a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Northwest, Virginia Beach ranks 2,142nd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, good schools, and clean air, and lowest on state finances and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Northwest, Virginia Beach expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $362,302. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $83,282 median income, cost of living beats 71% of neighborhoods.
Is Northwest, Virginia Beach safe?
Yes, Northwest, Virginia Beach is safer than 56% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $463 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Northwest, Virginia Beach?
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 Northwest, Virginia Beach good for families?
Schools beat 89% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 56%, and childcare runs $999 a month.
Compare Northwest, Virginia Beach with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Northwest, Virginia Beach. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Northwest, Virginia Beach 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.
Northwest, Virginia Beach detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Northwest, Virginia Beach: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Northwest, Virginia Beach: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Northwest, Virginia Beach: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Northwest, Virginia Beach: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Northwest, Virginia Beach 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.