Best PlacesReservoir, Newport News, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Reservoir, Newport News, 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.
Reservoir, Newport News ranks 4,021st of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Reservoir, 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.
Reservoir, Newport News' strengths and weaknesses
Where Reservoir, Newport News ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 82% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$872 a month, better than 79% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 75% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 70% of neighborhoods
Where Reservoir, Newport News ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 68 pleasant days a year, better than only 20% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Reservoir, Newport News
A household needs to earn about $62,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Reservoir, Newport News home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $65,563, 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 Reservoir, Newport News' effective rate of 0.89%, 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 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Reservoir, Newport News
Reservoir, Newport News runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Reservoir, Newport News.
Who works in Reservoir, Newport News, and how
Work in Reservoir, Newport News centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in Reservoir, Newport News
The coast is about 12 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across Reservoir, Newport News, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Reservoir, Newport News, month by month
Reservoir, Newport News sees roughly 68 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 53, with lows near 32. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53° | 41° | 32° |
| April | 73° | 61° | 50° |
| July | 91° | 81° | 73° |
| October | 76° | 64° | 55° |
Flying in and out of Reservoir, Newport News
The nearest airport, Newport News/Williamsburg International, is about 4 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Richmond International, about 48 miles away.
The best schools in and around Reservoir, Newport News
Schools across Reservoir, Newport News average a C+, better than 57% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- General Stanford ElementaryB− · 43% proficient
- David A. Dutrow ElementaryC · 31% proficient
- Oliver C. Greenwood ElementaryC− · 27% proficient
Top middle schools
- Ella J. Fitzgerald MiddleB · 47% proficient
- Mary Passage MiddleB− · 42% proficient
Top high schools
- Woodside HighA− · 66% proficient
- Denbigh HighB · 46% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Reservoir, Newport News school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Reservoir, 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 Reservoir, Newport News against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Reservoir, Newport News
Is Reservoir, Newport News a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Reservoir, Newport News ranks 4,021st of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, quiet, and affordable childcare, and lowest on an overheated housing market and cell coverage. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Reservoir, Newport News expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $235,435. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $65,563 median income, cost of living beats 48% of neighborhoods.
Is Reservoir, Newport News safe?
Reservoir, Newport News is safer than 52% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $455 per resident a year.
Compare Reservoir, Newport News with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Reservoir, Newport News. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Reservoir, 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.
Reservoir, Newport News detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Reservoir, Newport News: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Reservoir, Newport News: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Reservoir, Newport News: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Reservoir, Newport News: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Reservoir, 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.