Community Corner
These 10 VA Counties Are 'The Best' To Live In: New Rankings
Niche ranked the best counties to live in across Virginia, including factors like crime and public schools. See if yours is on the list.
VIRGINIA — Finding the perfect place to live and raise a family in Virginia can involve factors like schooling, activities for families, public safety, the job market and the real estate market.
Neighborhood ranking site Niche released its 2023 list of the best counties to live in across the state. Factors include public schools, housing, crime, the county’s diversity, available jobs, and commuting. Users on Niche’s website can also write their own reviews of a place they have lived.
The No. 1 county on the list is in Northern Virginia, while others are in the Richmond, Charlottesville, Roanoke and Williamsburg regions. A number of these counties also have communities named to Virginia's “Best Places to Raise a Family,” which takes into account school quality, safety, affordability, and access to amenities for families, or have cities on the Best Places To Live list.
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Here are the Niche rankings of the top 10 best counties to live in Virginia, and the score they got in certain factors. You can click on the link for each county to learn more about the Niche ranking.
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- Overall Grade A+
- Public Schools grade A+
- Housing grade A
- Nightlife grade A-
- Good for Families grade A+
- Diversity grade A-
- Jobs A
2. York County
- Overall Grade A+
- Public Schools grade A+
- Housing grade A-
- Nightlife grade A-
- Good for Families grade A+
- Diversity grade A-
- Jobs B
- Overall Grade A+
- Public Schools grade A+
- Housing grade B
- Nightlife grade A-
- Good for Families grade A+
- Diversity grade A
- Jobs B-
- Overall Niche Grade A+
- Public Schools grade A
- Housing grade B+
- Nightlife grade B
- Good for Families grade A
- Diversity grade B+
- Jobs A-
- Overall Niche Grade A+
- Public Schools grade unavailable
- Housing grade B
- Nightlife grade C+
- Good for Families grade A
- Diversity grade B
- Jobs A-
- Overall Niche Grade A+
- Public Schools grade A
- Housing grade B+
- Nightlife grade A-
- Good for Families grade A
- Diversity grade B-
- Jobs B+
- Overall Niche Grade A+
- Public Schools grade B-
- Housing grade B-
- Nightlife grade A-
- Good for Families grade A
- Diversity grade A
- Jobs B+
- Overall Niche Grade A-
- Public Schools grade A-
- Housing grade B+
- Nightlife grade B
- Good for Families grade A+
- Diversity grade A
- Jobs A-
- Overall Niche Grade A+
- Public Schools grade A-
- Housing grade A-
- Nightlife grade B+
- Good for Families grade A+
- Diversity grade A
- Jobs A-
10. Roanoke County
- Overall Niche Grade A
- Public Schools grade A
- Housing grade A
- Nightlife grade B-
- Good for Families grade A
- Diversity grade B-
- Jobs B+
About This List
Explore the best counties to live in the U.S. based on public schools, cost of living, job opportunities, and local amenities. Ranking based on county data from the U.S. Census, BLS, CDC, and other sources. Read more on how this ranking was calculated.
Where Niche Grades come from and how Niche calculates rankings.
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