Best PlacesPalmer, Newport News, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Palmer, Newport News, 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.
Palmer, Newport News ranks 4,447th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and noise is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Palmer, Newport News
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.
Palmer, Newport News' strengths and weaknesses
Where Palmer, Newport News ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$872 a month, better than 79% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 68% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than 68% of neighborhoods
Where Palmer, Newport News ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 19% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 20% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 24% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Palmer, Newport News
A household needs to earn about $46,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Palmer, Newport News home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $59,785, 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 Palmer, Newport News' effective rate of 0.84%, 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 3 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Palmer, Newport News
Palmer, Newport News 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 Palmer, Newport News.
Who works in Palmer, Newport News, and how
Work in Palmer, Newport News centers on construction and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in Palmer, Newport News
Palmer, Newport News has more restaurants and bars per resident than 86% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 11 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Palmer, Newport News and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Palmer, Newport News, month by month
Palmer, Newport News sees roughly 72 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 52, with lows near 30. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52° | 40° | 30° |
| April | 73° | 59° | 47° |
| July | 91° | 80° | 71° |
| October | 75° | 63° | 52° |
Flying in and out of Palmer, Newport News
The nearest airport, Newport News/Williamsburg International, is about 2 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Richmond International, about 53 miles away.
The best schools in and around Palmer, Newport News
Schools across Palmer, Newport News average a C+, better than 59% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Grafton Bethel ElementaryA+ · 77% proficient
- Kiln Creek ElementaryC+ · 38% proficient
- L.f. Palmer ElementaryC− · 29% proficient
Top middle schools
- Grafton MiddleA+ · 82% proficient
- Homer L. Hines MiddleC · 35% proficient
Top high schools
- Grafton HighA+ · 83% proficient
- Menchville HighA− · 60% proficient
- Warwick HighA− · 60% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Palmer, Newport News school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Palmer, Newport News 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 Palmer, Newport News against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Palmer, Newport News
Is Palmer, Newport News a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Palmer, Newport News ranks 4,447th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, tree cover, and affordable childcare, and lowest on noise and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Palmer, Newport News expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $175,355. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $59,785 median income, cost of living beats 41% of neighborhoods.
Is Palmer, Newport News safe?
Palmer, Newport News is safer than 19% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $746 per resident a year.
Compare Palmer, Newport News with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Palmer, Newport News. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Palmer, Newport News 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.
Palmer, Newport News detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Palmer, Newport News: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Palmer, Newport News: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Palmer, Newport News: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Palmer, Newport News: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Palmer, Newport News 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.