Best Counties for Families in Virginia 2026

126 counties ranked by schools, safety, income, and affordability.

Top 5 Family Counties in Virginia

1Bath County

74.4

2Northumberland County

All 126 Family-Ranked Counties in Virginia

Rank	County	Persona Score	Overall Score
1	Bath County, VA	73	74.4
2	Northumberland County, VA	73	66.8
3	Surry County, VA	72	67.1
4	Clarke County, VA	71	63.6
5	Lexington city, VA	71	64.7
6	King and Queen County, VA	71	63.7
7	Rappahannock County, VA	71	59.7
8	Loudoun County, VA	70	57
9	Botetourt County, VA	68	65
10	Fauquier County, VA	67	57.9
11	Floyd County, VA	67	71.5
12	Richmond County, VA	66	62.9
13	Goochland County, VA	63	64
14	Bland County, VA	63	72.8
15	Madison County, VA	63	59.1
16	Falls Church city, VA	61	51.8
17	Grayson County, VA	61	65.7
18	Mathews County, VA	61	63.4
19	Poquoson city, VA	60	55.9
20	Fluvanna County, VA	60	59.6
21	Hanover County, VA	60	55.4
22	Orange County, VA	59	52.9
23	King William County, VA	58	57
24	Stafford County, VA	58	53.6
25	Westmoreland County, VA	58	55.4
26	New Kent County, VA	57	55.6
27	Spotsylvania County, VA	57	54.4
28	Augusta County, VA	57	58.8
29	Warren County, VA	56	50.8
30	Appomattox County, VA	55	62.4
31	Louisa County, VA	55	51.9
32	King George County, VA	55	54.7
33	Dickenson County, VA	55	64.1
34	Franklin County, VA	54	60.2
35	Southampton County, VA	54	54.7
36	Craig County, VA	54	61.3
37	Carroll County, VA	54	63.4
38	Middlesex County, VA	54	53.2
39	Shenandoah County, VA	54	53.4
40	Gloucester County, VA	53	53.6
41	Amherst County, VA	53	58.4
42	Powhatan County, VA	53	54.7
43	York County, VA	53	52.5
44	Brunswick County, VA	52	55.5
45	Prince George County, VA	52	49.4
46	Roanoke County, VA	52	49.4
47	Fairfax County, VA	52	44.4
48	Greene County, VA	52	50.6
49	Buckingham County, VA	52	56.4
50	Lancaster County, VA	51	57.1
51	Bedford County, VA	51	58.7
52	Isle of Wight County, VA	51	48.1
53	Washington County, VA	50	58.3
54	Culpeper County, VA	50	50.1
55	Page County, VA	50	52.3
56	Northampton County, VA	50	54.7
57	Giles County, VA	49	57.4
58	Amelia County, VA	49	54.9
59	Nelson County, VA	49	51.8
60	Russell County, VA	48	61.3
61	Essex County, VA	48	51.1
62	Alleghany County, VA	48	53.3
63	Highland County, VA	48	62.1
64	Caroline County, VA	47	47.9
65	Smyth County, VA	47	56.8
66	Pittsylvania County, VA	47	54
67	Arlington County, VA	46	44.8
68	Wise County, VA	46	54
69	Charlotte County, VA	46	58.3
70	Virginia Beach city, VA	46	44.4
71	Montgomery County, VA	46	49.3
72	Prince William County, VA	46	39.6
73	Campbell County, VA	45	57.1
74	Prince Edward County, VA	45	56.7
75	Wythe County, VA	45	57.5
76	Lunenburg County, VA	45	59.4
77	Chesapeake city, VA	45	39.8
78	Rockbridge County, VA	44	53.6
79	Patrick County, VA	44	58.1
80	Manassas Park city, VA	44	36.6
81	Williamsburg city, VA	43	50.1
82	Alexandria city, VA	43	39.3
83	Chesterfield County, VA	43	43.3
84	Cumberland County, VA	42	51.6
85	Dinwiddie County, VA	42	44.1
86	Sussex County, VA	41	49.8
87	Halifax County, VA	41	55.6
88	Charlottesville city, VA	41	40.3
89	Salem city, VA	40	43
90	Staunton city, VA	39	45.7
91	Accomack County, VA	39	47
92	Scott County, VA	39	53.7
93	Manassas city, VA	38	32.5
94	Suffolk city, VA	38	35.9
95	Mecklenburg County, VA	38	51.2
96	Buchanan County, VA	38	51.3
97	Martinsville city, VA	37	44.6
98	Emporia city, VA	37	41
99	Colonial Heights city, VA	37	36.9
100	Buena Vista city, VA	36	44.1
101	Pulaski County, VA	36	45.7
102	Lee County, VA	36	52.2
103	Henry County, VA	36	51.7
104	Nottoway County, VA	36	43.8
105	Harrisonburg city, VA	35	38.5
106	Henrico County, VA	35	39.2
107	Winchester city, VA	34	36.2
108	Fredericksburg city, VA	34	37.1
109	Radford city, VA	34	47.6
110	Tazewell County, VA	33	50
111	Norton city, VA	33	47.5
112	Newport News city, VA	31	31.1
113	Galax city, VA	31	41.7
114	Hampton city, VA	31	33.3
115	Covington city, VA	31	47
116	Franklin city, VA	31	35.5
117	Waynesboro city, VA	30	40.2
118	Bristol city, VA	29	41.6
119	Lynchburg city, VA	29	36.9
120	Norfolk city, VA	27	27.4
121	Danville city, VA	26	37.5
122	Portsmouth city, VA	25	26.7
123	Richmond city, VA	23	27.4
124	Hopewell city, VA	23	29.8
125	Roanoke city, VA	22	27.7
126	Petersburg city, VA	21	29

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best county for families in Virginia?

Based on our analysis of school quality, safety, income, and cost of living, Bath County ranks as the top family county in Virginia with a family score of 73.

How many counties in Virginia are ranked for families?

We rank 126 counties in Virginia for family suitability, scoring each on school quality (35%), safety (30%), income (20%), and cost of living (15%).

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Data: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, FBI UCR, CDC, FEMA NRI, NCES, EPA SDWIS, 2019-2023 ACS — Informational only. Not financial or legal advice.